What is love?
by AdennaN
Summary: She loves him and he loves her too. But what exactly is love? And how do you know when you fall out of it? Is there really something wrong in their relationship or she's just over thinking herself to sleep? Does she have the right to feel unhappy or she's ungrateful? Somehow, she finds all those answers where she never thought she would; and it changes her life completely.
1. C1: What is this feeling?

**A/N: "New story?" "Are you crazy bitch?" "Focus on the stories you already posted and update them you idiot."**

 **I knooooow. But I had this idea so here it is. What can I say in my defense? I just had to post it.**

 **I am working on my other stories too, no worries! Also, I might post another one in a short while.. he he he.. ops? It will be a pure comedy so keep your heads up and your eyes on my profile.**

 **Enjooooy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters in this story. All respect to Kishimoto, long live dude! Also, I do not own the picture I chose for this story either.**

* * *

 **What is love?**

* * *

Chapter 1: What is this feeling?

She can smell his strong, musky perfume in the air the moment he walks into the room. It goes all the way up her nostril, until it hits her brain and makes her dizzy. That damned perfume he had spent a fortune on and which smell's lasted for more than twenty-four hours. She can hear the faint sound of clothes being discarded on the armchair and then the footsteps; five, five steps. That's all it takes him to reach the bed and sink under the blanket beside her. His arm would always come around her middle, soft but cold on her skin. His lips press gently on the side of her head, lingering there for a moment, before he buries his nose in her pink locks. She never says a word, and he always thinks she's sleeping. So when he takes in her strawberry scent, from that shampoo he never fails to buy her, she can squeeze her eyes shut and ignore the sickness in her stomach. His body is close, so close that is seems glued to hers; so close that she can feel his heart beating under his ribcage. She can't breathe. His arms barely touch her skin but it feels like he's crushing her lungs. She can't breathe.

* * *

She had been watching the steam float in front of her eyes until her coffee went cold. Sakura loves coffee; sweet, with milk and whipped cream. Today, she had left it plain, without anything in it. Sasuke already drank half of his while it was too hot to understand how it didn't melt his throat. He took a bite of toast and answered his phone. She can see his lips moving, his eyes focused on some imaginary point. All she can hear is the sound of the slightly burnt bread crushing under his teeth, like he's chewing on her eardrum. Her eyes dart down to her untouched food and coffee. She grabs the mug up to her lips and takes the smallest sip. It's bitter and it makes her stomach twirl. Her cheeks pull in the slightest from the taste; she hates it, but somehow, likes the feeling.

"You haven't touched your food." His words bring her back from some other reality. She can hear the worry in his voice. The corners of her mouth pull up in a second, her lower lip still hidden behind the mug.

"Ah, Sasuke, I've eaten dinner quite late last night. It seems I am not hungry yet." She giggles, and moves a hand dismissively between them. If it sounded hallow, he didn't notice. Or maybe he just ignored it. But it's Sasuke, the man she had dreamed of for so long, that she just can't find the will inside her to be bothered by it.

He is also tired, too tired. The skin under his eyes is a tone or two darker, his eyelids heavy and his back stiff. Sasuke has his own problems to deal with. She can't risk to look unhappy in front of the man that claimed her as his; the man that gave her everything.

Sakura is not unhappy; she tells herself that every night lately, when she climbs into bed, until she believes it. How could she be? This man, Sasuke, had gave her luxuries and love. He had planted gentle kisses on her skin since day one, showered her with love and affection and touched her body like no other man ever did. He loved her. He _loves_ her. She can see it in his eyes, right behind those dark long lashes she so loved. To dare to say she wasn't happy with such man would make her look crazy in front of anyone. Sakura knows she isn't crazy, so she _has_ to be happy.

He stretched his arm over the table and touched her cheek feathery. "Make sure to eat something though. Breakfast is important." He smiles at her with such worry and adoration at the same time that it made her heart clench under her ribs.

She turns her head and kisses the inside of his palm. "I will, don't worry about me. How is the firm going?"

He grabs the mug of coffee with the hand she kissed a second before and drinks the whole concoction with a big gulp. "Everything is going smooth," he starts, setting the mug back on the table, "We just signed a new contract last week. It will bring us a huge profit."

 _Money._ Sakura thinks money were made by Satan himself, to play with mortals' minds and souls. She doesn't need all the money, but Sasuke is happy when he gets more, so she is happy too. "That sounds great."

He moves his eyes from her to glance at the time and Sakura remembers when she used to secretly glance at him before.. before everything. Before she had him, before he wanted her, before she knew her heart better. She loved him. She _loves_ him. There is no lie in that. So he deserves to know that something hasn't been the same; something didn't feel right anymore. Sakura knows that. She also knows that keeping her mouth shut and her façade up won't solve anything. But he's Sasuke -the man of her dreams. And she is happy. She really is. But still..

"Sasuke.. I-"

The sound of his phone ringing made her close her mouth and she nodded at Sasuke to answer.

"Yes. Morning. No, ah, ok. I'll be right there." He ends his call rather fast, puts his phone in the inside on his suit coat and his eyes move to her again.

"What were you saying?"

 _I don't feel well, Sasuke. Something is wrong with us. Do something, or let's do something, together. We need to save this, us.. me._

"I'm going to meet Ino later, at the mall."

He keeps his eyes on her as he takes his suit coat with one hand. He's listening, he always does; but in vain, if she can't talk.

"That's great, love." He comes around the table and plants a peck on her forehead she used to hate all those years of her childhood. Sasuke had made her grow into it, told her how only a genius would need such a big one like hers, and kissed it at least once a day ever since. Maybe he's right, maybe she is a genius. That's good; geniuses suffer sometimes too and it's always for the best, right?

He grabs her chin with slender fingers and gently pulls her face up towards him. His eyes shine with love and she gulps the lump in her chest. "Buy everything you want. And treat Ino with lunch. You know how much she loves a free meal." He chuckles above her lips before pressing his on them. His mouth retreats a moment later, like it was never even there. For a second, there is silence; just the two of them looking at each other without a word. His eyes narrow slightly, and she almost miss it; _almost_.

"Sakura, everythi-"

Out of nowhere, her hand cups the back of his head, locking her fingers between his raven strands, and pulls him into another kiss; a deeper, needy one. He's clearly taken by surprise but he leans into her, too, touching her cheek, and kissing her back. She needs it –a reminder, that's she's still so in love with him that nothing else matters. She needs those soft lips on hers.

His hand is cold on her sensitive skin. Sakura ask herself if he had always been this cold. She remembers him so warm, so comfortable. Maybe it was her imagination all those times. Or maybe she was just so in love, her heart so on fire for him, that she just _couldn't feel_ his coldness.

Their tongues battle in the middle of her cavern and it really doesn't matter who wins. She already lost her inner battles. When they pull apart, he looks so deep and lovingly into her eyes, with those beautiful dark orbs; she can't stop the words from coming out of her mouth. "I love you."

He grins at her and plants another small peck on her forehead. "Love you, too, Sakura."

Love. Love. _Love._ She loves him. He is handsome, loving, gentle... and he loves her. Sasuke is the perfect man, she knows it; everybody does. And Sakura loves him. She _does_. How couldn't she?

He's taken his leave a second later, the door to their apartment closing so soft that she almost doesn't hear it. She's still sitting at the table. She can still taste him on her lips. His damn perfume has somehow entered the fabric of her shirt. She smells like him.

Sakura needs a shower, and a new set of clothes.

* * *

Ino is late, something that doesn't quite surprise Sakura at all. The blonde calls it being fashionable late. Sakura calls it being a bad friend. A small smile paints on her glossed lips and her eyes fall on the rose colored tee she had ordered. It was still steaming hot, and she places her hands on both sides of the large cup and enjoys the warm feeling on the inside of her palms.

As she contemplates if she should confess her latest struggles to her best friend, her mind goes back to Sasuke. Sure, Ino had always understood her no matter what. She has been like a pole to support unto when she needed it, a therapist, a motivation-speaker and a confidence booster. The blonde deserved her title as 'best friend' more than anyone. Even so, something still made her feel cautious. Her friend had helped her deal with her feelings for Sasuke, had listened to her whine for years how much she wanted him. Now, that the man of her dreams was finally hers, it felt so damn wrong to tell Ino how something didn't felt right. It shouldn't be like that, Sakura knows. It's just talking with your best friend about something important to you, about your feeling and fears. Ino sure would understand, or at least try to.

She brings the cup to her lips and takes a sip from it, the warm liquid calming her the slightest. Her mind wanders to the good old times.

 _She watches him from afar, half of her face covered by the sandwich her mother made her. Sasuke is two benches away from her, and even though it is lunch break, he is struggling to find the right piece to continue his puzzle. He's seven years old, but last week he finished a three hundred pieces puzzle. The raven-haired kid has a thing for them, Sakura knows. She thinks he's very smart and cute. When he frowns in concentration, so does she. Her lunch is also forgotten, as she continues to watch his small hands search between pieces. He stops, his hands froze in the air and he swings his head in her direction. She looks down at her sandwich instantly, her cheeks going red. She's too shy to even risk an eye contact with him. When he gets back to his puzzle, emerald eyes watch him again._

She gently smiles to herself at the memory, spinning the cup in her hands and watching the as rose and purple dance together.

 _Naruto drags her by the hand, his grip strong as iron, as he grins like a goofy._

" _N-Naruto? Where are we going?" she asks, trying not to trip on her own steps._

 _He doesn't answer, just continues to pull her after him until they reach a bench in their school's yard. He spins on his toes to face her and clasps his hands together. "Sakura, this is Sasuke. Idiot, this is Sakura. I thought since I am friends with both of you, you two should be friends too. Don't ya think?" He grins wide and excited while Sakura freezes in place._

 _Her head slowly turns to meet onyx eyes, anxiety threatening to make her either run away or faint. She curves a strand of hair behind her ear and gives a small smile to Sasuke. "Uhm, hi."_

 _He looks slightly bored, and mutters a "Hey." in her direction before going back to his game on his cell. Sakura is nervous, and she starts to think again about running away. Eleven years old and she is still shy, and Sasuke is even more handsome. She fidgets with her fingers, looking at her shoes and not knowing what to do. Naruto is now eating and ignoring her. Then she hears her crush call her name and her head shots to his face. He still looks unimpressed but he had moved his body slightly to his right, making enough space for her to sit beside him._

 _She glances at the bench, then at him, then again at the bench. "Are you going to sit or what?" comes Sasuke's voice again. Her face tints with a cute red blush as she sits down near him. He goes back to his game. She looks at Naruto, then at Sasuke and smiles to herself._

She looks at her watch and sighs. Ino's already half an hour late. Her eyes glance around for her blonde friend but she's nowhere in sight. A group of teenagers pass by, their laughter probably echoing around the whole area. They tell jokes and bump into each other as they walk away. Sakura looks back into her cup.

" _You look like shit," Sasuke chuckles, entering her bedroom with a bag of food in his hand._

 _Sakura glares her swollen eyes at him before sneezing. Naruto follows Sasuke inside, closing the door after him. "Damn Sakura, you look-" he stops as she sends him a nasty glance from behind her tissue, giving her best to look murderous. "-amazing!" he continues, scratching the blond spikes at the back of his head._

" _You two are horrible friends," Sakura says, not having the energy to sound angry at all._

" _Then I think we should leave with this Chinese take-out, ice-cream and.. oh, Oreos," Sasuke pretends to move towards the door, his legs stepping in slow motion but a pillow hits the back of his head, pushing his hair up. He turns around and glares._

 _Sakura fake coughs into a tissue while Naruto laughs his head off at Sakura's feet. "Ahaha, your hair looks like a chicken's butt." Suddenly a pillow hits him in the face. "Hey!" he yells at Sakura._

 _She snickers at him but stops right after to blow her nose. She lets out a frustrating sigh. "I am sick of being sick."_

 _Sasuke sits down next to her and takes out a plastic large cup with hot soup from the bag he brought with him. His fingers search for the plastic spoon he bought from the shop and when he finally finds it, he puts it in Sakura's hand._

 _Emerald, glassy eyes glance down at the spoon in her hand then at the plastic cup Sasuke holds in front of her. They're eyes meet, a determined pair and a confused one._

" _We bought you soup. It's the best in town," Sasuke says, taking the cup's cover off for her._

" _You didn't have to," Sakura smiles but accepts the soup anyway. "Thank you.." Her foot nudges Naruto's side, making him laugh when she hits a sensitive spot. His eyes move to her from the collection of movies he had spread in front of him and gives Sakura a warm grin._

" _Anytime, Sak."_

 _As she slowly eats, Sasuke's hand resting on the bed's headboard and behind her neck, her heart melts with happiness. Her boys. They are simply the best thing in the world and Sakura loves them both dearly._

 _Her crush on Sasuke didn't subside. It actually bloomed into a deep amazing love that warmed her whole soul and body when she was near him. The raven-haired man had been nothing but an amazing friend through the years though, and she is not ready to confess her heart out to him yet. But she is happy. The perfect moment will come one day, hopefully._

Sakura smiles to herself, the memories rushing back into her mind like a beautiful written story. She so misses those times. Everything was perfect then.

 _She finds herself slammed into a hard chest, a pair of strong arms wrapping around her in a protective stance. A guy tried to flirt with her in the hall of their school; flirt being too nice said. He had slapped her ass, pinned her to a wall and almost forces his lips on hers. At eighteen years old, Sakura was used to being catcalled and asked to dates. She had bloomed into a flower so beautiful and delicate, that many guys wanted to touch her petals. None had the courage to do so when she was with her two boys, but this guy had somehow managed to catch her alone._

 _The man with slippery hands is trying his best but still fails to get free from Sasuke's iron-like grip on his front shirt. He looks fanatically around him for help but when he founds nobody around, he starts yelling in Sasuke's face making the later's temper flame even more powerful._

 _He slams the boy into the wall behind him with full force. Sakura wince into Naruto's arms."You fucking touch her ever again and I'll put you six feet under." He doesn't raise his voice, he never does; but Sasuke isn't known to intimidate with yells and punches. Sasuke's voice is low, dangerous, lethal; the look in his eyes, God that look in his eyes. Sakura knows she will never forget it. His pupils are even darker, eyes narrowed into slits and they look like they could start a fire with a single glance. Even Sakura is scared. "Did I make myself clear?" his voice comes out like thorns and the man nods his head twice, as fast as he could. When Sasuke's grip loosens, he's gone in seconds._

 _Sakura lets out the breath she didn't know she was holding and Naruto's arms fall back to his sides. She goes and wraps her arms securely around Sasuke's torso, burring her head in his chest. She can feel his hard muscles relax under her touch._

 _Sasuke returns the gesture, placing a hand on the middle of her back and one at the nape of her head. He kisses gently the crown of her head. "Are you ok?" She only nods her head in response, her arms still locked tightly around him._

 _Naruto looks at them, smiling and then makes eyes contact with Sasuke. His grin grows. Sasuke ignores it and simply moves his onyx eyes down to look at the mess of pink locks under his chin. A small smile paints on his lips as he squeezes her closer to him._

"There you are!" the high-pitched voice of Ino comes from across the coffee shop, her blonde hair flowing around her like a curtain as she manages to run on her heels towards Sakura. She looks out of breath when she plops down in front of Sakura and gives her an apologetic smile. "Sorry?"

Sakura rolls her emerald eyes, pushing towards her friend the caramel frozen frappe she had ordered for her. "Hey, you're not even that late. Just like," she stops to glance at her silver and gold wrist-watch –the one Sasuke had bought her for her last birthday-, and huffs at Ino. "only almost an hour."

Ino brushes a strand of hair behind her ear, sipping through the straw and sighing in pleasure when she pulls her mouth away. "Thanks, you always know what I like. " Sakura just smiles back at that. "Anyway," Ino starts again, but then her eyes linger on Sakura, and for a second the pinkette feels like she's reading her like an open book. She inwardly sighs when Ino continues with, "I love your jumpsuit. It goes amazing with your eyes."

Sakura smiles warmly at her, relieved that her orbs don't give away her inner storm. "Glad that I passed your fashion test, my queen."

Ino laughs, her voice so feminine and lacy-like and it makes Sakura feel better. The blonde always made her feel good just by being in her presence. "Shut up," she says waving a manicured hand in the air amused. "I'm really sorry I've made you wait for me this long. That idiot and I had a fight."

Sakura's knows who's the idiot and even though relationship problems is the last topic she wants to talk about, she gives Ino a concerned glance. "What happened?"

"My winter collection reveal is next weekend, where I expect you to be too Miss best friend," her baby blue eyes send a half serious glance, "and of course I expect Sai to come too. But guess what? It seems like some art gallery opens in town in the same day and he actually prefers to go there than come with me. Can you believe that man?" She glares at her frappe, sipping aggressively on the straw.

Sakura shakes her head. "Ino, you know how much Sai is into painting. He made you the face of his Femme gallery last month. You know how important you are to him, so maybe you should try to understand him a bit," she suggests, shrugging.

"Uhm, excuse me, but I do understand him; I understand that he's a selfish idiot that thinks only about his painting," she huffs.

Sakura sighs, glancing at the inside of her empty cup then back at her blonde friend. "You and I know that's not true. He loves you like nothing else in the world."

"Yeah, he loves me so much that he can't choose _me_ over that stupid gallery."

"Remember last summer when he had the opportunity to sign a contract for that fancy museum in Otokagure. It was a huge one time opportunity but you were so stressed and freaked out about your next show that he couldn't leave you alone," Sakura remind her, clearly making sense to Ino because her eyes seemed to shine with a bit of understanding. "Look, if I remember right, your collection isn't the only one revealed that night, right?" Ino nods. "Well, the gallery starts at six in the afternoon; the fashion show, at eight. If you move your collection reveal later, Sai has time to go to the gallery then come to the show."

Ino taps her long finger on her chin a few times, clearly contemplating Sakura's idea and then her eyes grow wide and shine with such happiness that the pinkette is almost jealous. _Almost_ , because she can never find herself not be happy for the blonde. She deserves the best in the whole world. "You are a genius, Sak. I love you so damn much right now," she squeals excited, grabbing Sakura's hands and squeezing them in appreciation.

"Love you, too, blondie," she lets her nickname roll out of her mouth, like back in old days and Ino crocks a fine eyebrow.

"I think it's been years since you called me that, pinkie," she remarks then grins, showing her perfect white teeth.

Sakura lets out a breath amused. "Want to do some shopping?" she asks then.

"Do I ever say no to shopping?" she inquires, before grabbing Sakura's hand and pulling her beside her. She locks her fingers between hers, the clicking of their heels on the floor making Sakura think that maybe she can forget about everything for a while.

" _So, do you want to try this?" Sasuke's voice rings in her ears and touches her heart gently. They were at a party, in their last year of high school, not long after Sasuke had scared that guy away from her. They sit in one corner, the room full with drunk teenagers, music blasting through the speakers, when he yells the question over the trap song._

 _She looks at him confused, her emerald eyes shining under the colorful lights waving around the room. "Try what?"_

 _He gets closer to her, circling an arm around her shoulders and looks her straight in the eyes. Air stops in her throat for a second, before composing herself. She leans into his touch, like she did so many times over the last four years and waits for his answer._

" _Us." The word echoes in her brain a million times. Her mouth opens but no word comes out. She blinks a few times; is she dreaming or just extremely drunk? Does Sasuke really says what she thinks he says?_

" _W-what are you saying, Sasuke?" she asks, because her mind can't comprehend the word 'us' coming so naturally and smoothly out of his so inviting lips. God, her eyes fell on his lips without her consent and he sure as hell noticed because the corners of his mouth rise into the sexiest smirk she had ever seen._

" _I know you like me," he admits, whispering the words in her face and she feels her cheeks go warm. She wants to move her face sideways and hide her blushing skin behind her curly bangs but his fingers grab her chin gently, making her look at him. His eyes are a shade darker, so damn beautiful, and they trap her into some other dimension. "I know you did for a while now." 'Like' is an understatement; Sakura is head over heels in love with him. She won't tell him that though._

" _Then… why now? Why do you want this now?" She gazes into his dark pools, trying to keep herself sane._

 _He shrugs, his board shoulders going up and then Sakura feels the hardness of his arm muscles rest back around her neck. "We knew each other for so long and at first I saw our relationship more like a brother-sister one." He notices the glint of hurt in her eyes and pulls her closer, their noses almost touching. Sakura's heart skips a beat. "I guess a part of me was scared to not ruin our friendship for something I didn't knew for sure if I felt.. if I felt like you do, I mean." He smiles, lazily and unSasuke-like._

 _Sakura is out of words, of air and her brain probably shut down. Is this person really Sasuke? The incredibly handsome, cool guy that every girl in their school drool over… did he really just said all that? He was always kind to her, yes, but never did he talk like that –about his feelings, with her. She blinks; different shades of green dancing in her orbs._

" _And," she hesitates, "you are sure now?"_

 _His answer is placing his lips on hers, gently, like feather in the wind. Sakura's eyes almost fall out of their sockets. He pulls back too fast for her liking. The man of her dreams, her crush since ever, just kissed her. She must be dreaming. His lips felt even better than she thought; they were soft, gentle and just… perfect._

" _I am sure, yes," he looks deep into her eyes, and Sakura feels her bones melt. "So, Sakura, do you want to be my girlfriend?"_

 _Sakura waited for so long to hear that question, that now she can't even form an answer with her mouth. She stares into his amazing eyes and pulls him into another kiss. He smiles over her lips, making Sakura's legs go weak._

" _Ahem, guys," Naruto fake coughs and stares at them as they pull apart. He juggles three cups in one hand and waves the other one around. "I mean, finally! I thought I had to make you two kiss somehow myself but hey, glad you managed on your own."_

" _Shut up, idiot," Sasuke rolls his eyes, his arm still hanging around Sakura's shoulders and a wide smirk on his face._

 _Sakura's cheeks go from rosy to dark red and she grabs a cup from Naruto's hand, trying to drink her embarrassment away._

 _Naruto chuckles and slams a hand on Sasuke's back. "I'm really happy for you guys, but if you push me out of our small gang, I will personally kill you," he threatens, faking a serious, dangerous look._

 _Sakura laughs and pulls him by the front on his shirt until the three of them form a small circle. She snakes an arm around both of them, kissing Naruto's cheek and leaning into Sasuke's chest. "You're going to be my best boys forever, you silly."_

 _Naruto's grin is too big for his face and Sasuke smirks before placing a small peck on Sakura's hair. Sakura is happy; the happiest she has ever been._

"Red or black?" asks Ino while moving two hangers in front of her body at a time.

Sakura doesn't give it a second thought. "Definitely red."

"That's what I thought," she agrees, placing the hanger with the black dress back in its place. "I'm starving," she whines, walking beside Sakura towards the cashier girl. "Want to grab something to eat?"

Sakura thinks about her breakfast resting now in her kitchen's trashcan. "Sounds good," she nods, even though she doesn't feel much hungrier than in the morning.

It didn't matter how good the food smelled, or how delicious it looked, Sakura's stomach makes her want to turn her head to the side and vomit. She knows why; she thought that she would see Ino and somehow she would slip that she wasn't feeling quite good lately. She would have asked her about it and talked with her, Sakura is sure of that. But since she met the blonde in the coffee shop, all she did was keep her happy person mask on.

"Sakura, are you ok?" the concerned voice of Ino brings her back from her thoughts. She had just finished gulping down another bite from her noodles and was now looking at Sakura's untouched food.

"I don't know, Ino," she starts, avoiding the blonde's blue gaze, "I just don't feel really hungry today," she admits.

Ino places her fork down and observes her with keen eyes. "Are you pregnant? You don't look like it. You actually look thinner than last time I saw you but who knows."

"What?" green eyes widen and glance back at Ino. "No, I'm not pregnant."

"You sure?" Ino insists.

"Yeah, we- I mean, I didn't had sex with Sasuke in a while now."

Ino crocks an eyebrow. "Really? I always thought of him to be the type that expects lots of sex."

"He is- was. I don't know. He's been busy at the firm and you know, he's just tired when he gets home." Ino's eyes narrow. "It's ok, I mean, I understand. He has a lot going on and there are a lot of things he has to do since he became the CEO."

"Sakura, is he neglecting you?"

"No! He is very thoughtful and loving and," she stops and sighs, "He's perfect, Ino."

Ino grabs her fork again and looks skeptically at her friend. "If you say so. I mean, he is what you wished for all your life and what many other girls dreamed of." She bites into a piece of chicken and Sakura stays silent. Ino is right. Sasuke is the perfect man she wanted; not just a perfect man, no. Sasuke was her crush and first love and the most loving boyfriend. Still, she still feels like she's living with a stranger lately.

"Listen, Sak, if something is bothering you, you should tell him. But you need to understand him too, right? Like you told me to do with Sai," she winks, "He is working hard to keep that firm from blowing and to make you happy and he also buys you everything you need. If you say that he's loving and not neglecting you, then maybe…" she trails of her words, not sure of what she wants to say either before she pushes her food aside. "You still love him, right?"

"Of course I do."

"Then maybe it's just a phase," she shrugs. "You guys just finished Uni last year and then moved in together and all that. It takes time to accommodate with the idea of living with your man. And I know that. I wanted to kill Sai in the first month." Her laugh makes Sakura smile. "But seriously, after what you told me… I don't see a problem there beside you overthinking _or_ you just need some time until you get used to his schedule and all that."

Time. Does she really need more time? Because Sakura had been living with him for a couple months and it had been _amazing_. She didn't felt for a second that she needed _time_ when she moved in with him. They were both too happy and too busy loving each other every day to even think about that.

Of course, quitting her reserved spot in one of the best laboratories in Suna to stay with him and then him taking over the firm had been a bit rough. But that didn't make Sakura love him less; or regret any of her choices. She knew she loved him more than anything and he was worth giving up anything for. Still, she feels like something is extremely wrong in her life at the moment and everybody seems to ignore it or just not notice it in the first place. But in front of her is Ino, her best girl friend that always understood her. Maybe she will understand how she feels and why; maybe even make herself understand why was she feeling the way she did, too.

"You're one damn lucky girl, Sak. Girls would kill to have what you have; a man that loves you, treats you right and gives you the finest luxury in the world. Think about that," she lectured, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulders.

Okay, so much about Ino being able to understand her. She would give her that judgmental look that says 'how dare you feel unhappy' in one millisecond. "You're right, Ino. Maybe I'm just overthinking things. Thanks." She smiles and Ino gives her one of her own. Sakura never thought she will ever have to pull such a fake smile in front of her best friend.

* * *

 **A/N: Sooooo, thoughts? You better leave me a damn review, my friends. I put my heart and soul into this. Pretty please?**

 **Seriously, what do you think? I want opinions!**

 **Xoxo, Adenna.**


	2. C2: Happy almost

**A/N: I actually updated this faster than I thought I would. It was just that the words had found me for this chapter so I decided to leave the rest of the chapter from 'In love with a criminal' for another day. Not really cool of me, because I know there are people that still wait for an update on that story. So, I am sorry for that, BUT at least I did updated something, right?**

 **Thank you everyone for the alerts, follows and the beautiful reviews. I can't put in words how much it meant to me to hear from you that you liked the first chapter. I actually want this to be as deep as possible so yes, I'm doing my best with that. It will get even deeper in future chapters and SOON, my friends, Shisui will make his appearance. Huray!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters but I so wish I had them Uchihas for myself. All my respect to Kishimoto-sama.**

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 **Summary: She loves him and he loves her too. But what exactly is love? And how do you know when you fall out of it? Is there really something wrong in their relationship or she's just over thinking herself to sleep? Does she have the right to feel unhappy or she's ungrateful? Somehow, she finds all those answers where she never thought she would; and it changes her life completely.**

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 **What is love?**

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 **Chapter 2: Happy… almost**

 _Pink strands stick to her forehead and temples like someone had glued petals on her face. Her hand is in Sasuke's bigger one, his grip firm but the warmness of his skin crawling up her arm until it reaches her bones. She's trying her best to keep up with his fast steps, as he guides her through empty pathways, in search of a place that would protect them against the angry puffs of grey above them._

 _The rain had gotten incredibly heavy in just a few minutes, the blue sky covering itself with a grey, thick blanket. Her vision is blurred by the big, fat drops splashing her in the face with every step she sprints on the wet pavement._

" _Sasu-" her words stop in her throat as another giggle escapes her slightly flushed lips, her abdominal muscles aching from all the contractions. All her attempts to stop laughing had failed miserably. Her heart pumps wild inside her chest from her race against the nature._

 _Sasuke is so desperately trying to drag her after him as fast as he can, that Sakura is sure he doesn't even know where they're heading to anymore._

 _Sakura loves sunny days; those where the sun caresses her skin and the sky is wearing its most beautiful light blue colored coat. She was never really fond to angry clouds and cold water showering her out of nowhere. One would expect someone like her to be extremely pissed being caught in such circumstances at the moment. The nature had decided to ruin her and Sasuke's walk in the park and she should feel angry about it. By the way Sasuke is pulling on her hand like their life depends on it makes Sakura believe that he might think just that; their date had crumbled to ruins and she was not pleased. But she didn't felt that way; Sakura actually feels beyond amused and_ happy _._

 _She pulls on his hand, making him glance at her over his shoulder but doesn't stop his feet. He's clearly confused as why Sakura chokes on laughter. She is out of breath, her heart threatens to break through her ribcage anytime now, and her legs begin to slow down, her muscles too tired to continue their job. She pulls on his hand again, calling his name and this time Sasuke does stop, though too suddenly, and Sakura crashes into his soaked chest._

 _He catches her fast into his arms, wrapping his strong muscles around her and Sakura doesn't even care anymore that they're soaked from head to toe. Her muffled chuckles vibrate right through Sasuke's chest, entering his heart and circulating through his whole body._

 _She moves her eyes up to him, the pouring rain making it hard not to blink every two seconds, and brushes a wet strand of his raven bangs away from his eyes. He looks so annoyed about the whole situation, that she can't stop herself from starting to laugh again. Sasuke looks at her like she had gone mad. She clutches on her stomach, managing to control herself after a few deep breaths._

 _Her eyes lock with his again, mesmerized by how beautifully his lashes had paired together, making them look thicker and darker, the small droplets of water on them glistering like a curtain of stars; and with those pitch-black orbs of his… it felt like she was looking straight into the outer space._

 _He cups her cheeks, his hands warming her skin instantly and presses his forehead on hers. She giggles up at his almost pouting expression, her smile so warm, like a lost sunshine between clouds. "You're so adorable right now, Sasuke."_

 _His smile is the most magnificent one he had ever given her. "If you could see yourself right now, Sakura," his eyes shut for not more than a few seconds, like he's trying to engrave the moment in his brain forever, before half-opening them again, "you could replace the sun with that smile. And these eyes of yours," he kisses her eyelids gently, "there are no diamonds more precious than them." He traces a soft line along her lower lip with his thumb, and Sakura's lungs suddenly need more air. He had taken her heart a long time ago; she would gladly give her air to him, too. "There's nothing in this world that can compete with your beauty, Sakura. I love you." He whispers the words against her lips, the rain like a background melody for his lyrics and the pinkette has never heard anything more beautiful and serene in her whole life._

 _Soft and slightly cold lips melt on hers, like sweet, delicious honey and she wraps her arms around his neck, holding unto him like she's afraid he would disappear between her fingers otherwise; she could easily say that she has taken a bite from paradise._

 _They're in the middle of an empty park, lost in each other touch, the rain blessing their love. A loud thunder startles them enough to break their kiss. They both tilt their head upwards; grey had morphed into a dark ashy color, a sudden lighting cracking the sky open._

 _Dark orbs fall back on emerald ones, the corner of Sasuke's mouth curling into a smirk. "I think we're so perfect, the nature is shooting us."_

 _Sakura laughs, full-heartedly, then pulls him in for another kiss. This time, nothing can make them pull their mouths apart. Maybe the rain had just given them the perfect moment after all._

She moves faintly between the sheets, her eyelids slowly fluttering open and the first thing they see is a pair of black orbs staring back at her. She blinks rapidly a few times, confused, and rubs the sleep away from her eyes with the back of her palm.

"Sasuke?" she mumbles, then she yawns before glancing at him with glassy eyes. She blinks again. "Wh-what time is it?"

He's leaning next to her on his side, elbow sank in the mattress and head rested in his open palm. His lips are curved in a serene smile when he brushes a strand of pink hair behind her ear, caressing her cheek while doing so. "Almost two in the afternoon," he responds, his voice low.

Her brows furrow, orbs looking around the room and towards the slightly pulled curtains where the sunlight makes its way between the four walls. "W-what?" She pushes herself in a sitting position, tilting her head to look at him. "It's so late. I can't believe I fell asleep. Why didn't you wake me up? Did you eat breakfast? I am so sorr-"

"Sakura," he cuts off her rambling, "relax. I can cook for myself."

"But-"

"Come back here." He circles an arm around her and pulls her body into an embrace. Sakura's body stiffens for a short moment before relaxing into him. He's dressed in his suit clothes, the first buttons of his shirt left loose and his usual tie nowhere in sight. She glances at him unsure. "You're not at the firm?"

"I decided to take a day off," he shrugs, planting a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Oh," she fights the intonation of her voice, not wanting to sound too surprised by his act. Truth to be told, after more than a week, it's the first time she can be so close to him without her mind racing with hurtful thoughts, her heart aching with reasons unknown to her and her stomach not getting into a knot. She felt different, more peaceful and rested. A voice in her mind inquires if it doesn't have anything to do with her memories coming back during her sleep. Maybe it does; she doesn't know for sure. Dreaming about that day clearly had changed her mood drastically, even if she can't say that all the uneasiness had left her completely.

"For how long have you been home?" she asks, pushing her thoughts aside. Overthinking isn't a trait Sakura can be proud of, and it certainly makes her think and feel things she never experienced with Sasuke, nor does she want to ever again.

"Two hours," he responds honestly, his voice still low and soft.

Sakura's eyes widen. "Why didn't you wake me up?" I could have prepared something to eat. Are you hungry? You are for sure. I'll go now and-" she tries to pull away from Sasuke's arms, ready to leave and do her duties but Sasuke keeps her in place.

He chuckles, and something stirs in Sakura's stomach but she ignores it. "Just stay here, with me. You looked so peaceful and I didn't want to ruin that." He pokes her nose playfully, "Plus, you've been smiling in your sleep. What were you dreaming about, huh?" His fingers draw invisibles patterns on her back and ribs, as he looks expectantly at her. It gives Sakura a tingling sensation inside her chest and down her spine; she can't place it between good and bad.

Her eyes study his face; his eyes still look tired and his hair is slightly messy, which is extremely odd for him. Sasuke always makes sure that his hair is flawless. The darker skin under his eyes hasn't subside, if not, has gotten even darker. Even so, he is still handsome with those proud cheeks and lips pulled in a kind and masculine smile. She moves a finger across his jaw line, her eyes following the invisible path with interest, like it's the first time she had seen it so close.

What was she even thinking all those past days? She is so in love with this man that her heart almost bursts open. His skin might be cold, yes, but when he touches her it feels perfect; like small snowflakes grazing over her skin –at first they're cold but then they melt into her warmness. Sasuke does just that, and it makes her feel _good_. Just like _then,_ when they melted so sweetly into each other that they didn't even felt how cold the rain was. And now she dared to think how things don't go quite well, all this time later, after he had spoken those sweet words to her for the first time – _I love you_ ; ever since then he did just that. He had loved her, and proved her, showed her how high his feelings go and what did she do? She had let her mind overthink in her lonely hours, almost making herself believe that something was wrong with them, or with _her_ , specifically. She wants to slap herself in the face for doing such thing to him, even if he doesn't have the knowledge about her ill thoughts.

"You," she finally answers him, leaning her head on her bicep and gazing into his eyes sleepily, "Us," she whispers, afraid that if she were to talk louder, her thoughts would slips through her lips.

"Oh?" his brows rise faintly, his face showing the pleasure he took in hearing that answer. "And what exactly we were doing in this _dream_ of yours?" His voice is frutty and calming and she mentally asks herself how she could ever _not_ love his voice. Even if it has his characteristic male tone, it always sounds so kind to her ears.

"Remember that date we had in the park in our first year of Uni?"

His smile contorts into an amused grin, his mind clearly bringing the memory back and he nods. "'Till this day, I don't know if I resent that rain or I am grateful for it. I mean, it gave us quite the memorable moment but not being able to see you for two weeks because we were both dead sick in our own beds…" he hums, half lost in memories, "well _that_ I didn't like."

Sakura laughs, slapping his arm playfully. "That's because you kept me in the rain for an hour."

"Guilty," he admits, "It was hard not to. You were so adorable, all wet like that. It was actually when I realized I will love you forever, no matter what. I knew right then that I will do anything in my power to keep that smile on your face." His sincere smile, the sparkles covered in love from his eyes, the way his fingers move like feathers on her skin… she doesn't know _why,_ but she feels like suffocating. He's too kind, too loving, too gentle, _too much._ He's never been too much; she never had enough of him. So why, _God why_ , does she feel the guilt inside her boil furiously? It wasn't her fault that for a while she didn't feel _right_. She had tried not to think that way, or feel that way, but it was in vain. It was like running from her own shadow, her thoughts always catching up with her and making her believe things she should _never_ even _think_ about.

Ino was right; she does overthink too much. But what else it is left to do when you're feeling lonely? She had watched movies, read books, went out… but she didn't want to do anything besides being with Sasuke and he _wasn't_ there. He was either working or so tired that it was enough for Sakura to glance even for a short second at his exhausted form and she just couldn't ask him for anything. She couldn't demand him to work less, because that firm was Sasuke's dream, and what kind of girlfriend would she be if she wouldn't support him? She couldn't demand him to go out or see their common friends more often because he always looked like he would pass out any moment; how could she make him lose more sleep because of that? He couldn't even demand more attention or more time for her, from him. Because Sasuke was giving her attention and did shower her with kisses and touches, with love and kindness. Sure, he was more and more rarely at home, but that's because he was needed at his job, not because he chose to; even if, he did know what taking the place as the CEO would mean.

Her mind feels like it is being squeezed into a ball with thoughts; thoughts that shouldn't even exist. What would Sasuke think if he would know what have transpired through her head day and night? Would he feel betrayed, that she allowed her brain to build those ideas? Would he feel like he isn't enough for her, even after everything? Would he feel unloved, unappreciated, hurt? Just the existence of such possibility, that he would ever feel like that because of her, makes Sakura's heart clench so painfully under her ribcage that she wants to rip it out of her chest.

She doesn't realize it and Sasuke has to call out her name three times before she finally blinks, and looks at him with glassy wide eyes. His eyes are like two black pools of confusion and worry. Her body is trembling, her chest feels like she has been stabbed multiple times and tears flow down her cheeks without a stop.

"Sakura," he whispers her name again, cupping her cheek gently and using his thumb to wipe away the cascade of tears that had gathered under her eyes. "What's wrong?" his voice is so gentle, like he's afraid to not hurt her more. More tears run down her face and unto Sasuke's hand. "Baby, please tell me what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"I love you so much, Sasuke. I'm sorry, I am so sorry." She chokes on a sob, her head falling into his chest.

Sasuke's fear and concern, mixed with an incredible sense of anxiety, is palpable. He glances at the mess of pink, alarmed of her sudden change in mood. "Sakura, look at me." She doesn't, but continues to sob into his chest, her hands clutching on his back. "Look at me…," he pleads, his voice not louder than a faint whisper.

When she raises her head slowly, facing him but avoiding his gaze, his face twists into a painful one. "Look at me, Sakura," he repeats, his voice soft as feathers but stern enough to make her give in. When she finally does, her eyes shine with tears, her face flushed and puffy. "What are you talking about? What are you sorry for?" Sasuke never wants to see her in such state ever again. His heart breaks just by looking at her pained face.

He is blurry in her eyes, but she can literally feel his thoughts and feelings; his heart beating faster, his mind curling around itself in search of an answer, the worry in his glances. It hurts even more to sense all that and to realize over and over again how much he loves her. And there she was all those days thinking how everything wasn't right. The morning should have been perfect. He had taken his day off for her and she managed to ruin it again with her ill thoughts and mixed feelings. She asks herself if she can be more stupid.

"I am sorry," she finally speaks, her voice still trembling, "I didn't mean to cry and ruin everything. I am such an idiot." She lowers her head again, guilt eating her inside out.

"Sakura…" he starts, making her look into his eyes, an endless love sparkling inside them. "It's ok. Tell me, babe, what's wrong?"

What's wrong? How can she give him an answer when she doesn't even have one in the first place? She's lonely and then she's happy but then she questions everything that happened in the past years and then… there's Sasuke in front of her, caring and loving her and she's happy again. What is wrong? That's one hell of a good question that she found herself using more than she would like to admit. She might go crazy one of these days.

"Nothing," she lies, trying to pull a smile but Sasuke's pointed look force the corners of her mouth into a straight line. "I… I don't know, Sasuke." And that wasn't a complete lie. Sakura really doesn't know what's going on inside her heart and mind.

"Sakura," his eyes are narrow but he looks more hurt than angry for her vague answer, "you can talk to me. I'm here." His arms squeeze her more into him.

She gulps the painful lump in her throat but it goes straight to her chest, pushing on her vital organ. New tears threaten to fall from her sea-foam orbs. What could she tell him? How could she describe the block of ice that had been growing inside her without her consent? How could she put a finger on a reason when there were so many and at the same time none? Nothing makes sense anymore in her head. She wants to be honest with him but she can't find the right words. The only thing she knows for sure is that she loves him and she missed him so much every day when he wasn't there. "I missed you," she whispers finally, not knowing what else to say.

Sasuke looks unsure for a second, as if contemplating if he should accept that answer but then sighs and squeezes his arms around her, pulling her as close as he can. Sakura's head now rested on his chest, his chin gently pressed on her head. "I'm sorry, I've been working a lot and I wasn't with you for too long."

"No," she shakes her head, strands of pink hair brushing against Sasuke's jaw, "It's not your fault.

He pulls apart just enough to look at her. The corners of his mouth are drawn into a small smile but she can see the guilt in his orbs, the slightest tremble of his lips, threatening to pull them into a straight line.

"It is, and I am sorry, Sakura. Forgive me," he pleads, kissing her temple tenderly and holding unto her with all his might. "Forgive me, please."

Her eyes go wide and start to get wet again because he shouldn't be the one apologizing. He did nothing wrong. Sasuke only did his job, taking care of his dream and of all those people that count on him to keep everything perfect in the firm. He gives his all, day and night, and then he comes home tired and lifeless, his body barely crumbling into bed. He is working too much, Sakura knows. But even so, he always makes time to have breakfast together every morning even when he should hurry to work. He still kisses her like all those years before. Sasuke still touches her skin like she's the most precious treasure in the world. There is still love in his eyes when he looks at her. Maybe he isn't there for her every hour of the day like he used to, but they are adults now. They have responsibilities; Sasuke needs to work much for his firm and for his employees and Sakura… she should love him unconditionally, support him and help him build every step ahead of him.

What did she do though? Question their relationship, her feelings and heart, and being the worst girlfriend in the world. She should be the one apologizing, not him. Sakura knows though that throwing guilty words at each other and spilling tears won't make it any better so she cups his cheek and smiles weakly at him.

"Do you want to cook something together?" she asks, her eyes hopeful. They used to prepare meals together in their Uni years, while singing and dancing around the kitchen, their laughs often covering the background music. Those are definitely some good times Sakura misses a lot. Now with Sasuke's busy schedule, he usually enters the kitchen when the breakfast is almost ready. In the evening, he works often so late that when he finally gets home, he either goes straight to bed or, on some occasions, takes a few bites from the dinner Sakura always makes for both of them before doing so.

This time Sasuke gives her a genuine smile. That sounds like a good idea. You go take a shower, I'll make you some coffee." His lips cover hers for a short second before untangling his arms from around Sakura and pushing himself up.

Sakura's eyes linger on his retreating form until the door closes, then she sighs. Sasuke took the day off for her, to stay at home and spend some time with her and in return she had cried and made him think he's a bad boyfriend. Just thinking about Sasuke's hurt and guilty expression makes Sakura's insides twist and her heart ache.

As she leaves the bed and heads towards the bathroom, Sakura decides that she won't ruin their day together. She missed spending time with him too much to fuck it all up with her overthinking and stupid heart.

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When she enters the kitchen, dressed in fresh clothes, she spots Sasuke in front of the open fridge. He was now wearing just a pair of sweats, his torso bare, and she can easily see how his muscles have lost their old hardness. Sakura isn't surprised; after all, he spends most of his time working. There is no free time for him anymore to go daily to the gym like he used to. She doesn't mind it though. In her eyes, he's still the most beautiful creature in the Universe; six pack or not.

He closes the fridge with his hip, hands full of ingredients. After placing everything on the kitchen counter, he turns to face her.

"Coffee is on the table," he nods his head towards the steaming concoction, "I thought about eggs, bacon, tomatoes and some toasted bread with butter," he continues, grabbing a bowl from the inside of a cupboard.

Sakura sips from her coffee, the sweetness of it mixed with the strong caffeine making her moan silently inside the mug. Sasuke only smirks at her blissful expression. After another gulp, her eyes focus on Sasuke who occupied himself with opening the wrapper around the bacon. "Isn't it a bit late to eat breakfast?" she inquires, making her way besides him.

He shrugs. "You just woke up and I had a sandwich in the morning; so breakfast sounds good to me."

Sakura shakes her head amused. "I'm sure tomatoes sound good at any time of the day," she teases him, stealing a single cherry one and popping it into her mouth.

"Hey, hands off," he says, his tone half serious.

When Sakura pokes her tongue out at him in response, he corners her between the counter and his body in a swift movement, his arms caging her in place. She lets out a squeak in surprise when he leans his face closer to hers.

"Do that again and you might have to wait longer to eat," he whispers then smirks at her light blush. No matter how much time they had together, he always managed to get the shy Sakura out. He also loved doing it; she is too damn cute with those rosy cheeks.

Sakura bites her lip, glancing up into his eyes seductively. She missed him looking at her like that. She missed seeing him a bit livelier, needier, for _her_. It's been so long since he even let such innuendos out of his mouth that now just hearing that simple sentence made her body shiver.

"Now I really want to do it again," she responds with an innocent tilt of her head, eyes sparkling at him suggestively. A second later, her bottom is placed on the counter, fingers dipped into her hips almost painfully. His face is so close that their noses touch.

"I dare you," he counters, his lips hovering just above hers. His husky tone is enough to send chills down her spine, the feelings reintroduced to her after a long while of stillness. She doesn't even need to repeat the action, because a second later he's kissing her feverishly, his tongue already in her mouth.

Her eyes close without consent, hands gripping oh his shoulders, then up until they hung into his raven strands. She pulls him closer, heat circulation through her body at a fast pace, until it reaches the place between her legs and she lets a silent moan inside his mouth. His hands are everywhere; legs, hips, ribs, her hair and then her face. She is burning under his touch and God; how could she have second thoughts about him? Was she drugged for the past week to even think that their relationship wasn't good anymore?

"I missed you so damn much, Sakura," he murmurs against her throat, lips hot on her already burning skin. He grips the hem of her top, pulling it over her head and tossing it somewhere on the floor, and then he stops to look at her. Like, really _look_ at her.

She feels the intensity in his eyes, the desire and adoration for her and she just can't help herself but pull him back into another kiss. His member is hard against her stomach, and she finds it hard to not rip his sweats off him. She needs him. She wants him closer, even if their bodies are glued. _Closer,_ because when was even the last time they shared a moment like this one? Her mind runs wild, heart slamming against her ribcage from excitement. It had been too long. Too long since he touched her like that. Too long since he looked so desperate to have her all. Too long since she felt so _happy_.

She leans her head back enough to break the kiss and looks at Sasuke between half-open lids. His hair is slightly messy, his breath comes out in short pants, and his eyes shine with something Sakura doesn't have a word for; but she loves that look. She loves how the corner of his mouth drawls into a smirk. She loves _him_.

Her nails sink into his shoulders when he suddenly raises her with one hand around her middle like she weights nothing. She giggles into the crook of his neck when he spins on his heels, his steps faster than lighting, moving both of them into the living room and throwing her on the big plushy couch with a thud. Her grin widens as he climbs above her, glancing at her from under his eyelashes like a hungry animal.

His fingers tickle her when they graze over her ribs and stomach, his head lowering to nibble on the skin between her breasts before moving up to her neck, leaving hot, wet trails behind until he finds her mouth again. The kiss is short this time, their need for air making them pull apart.

They gaze into each other eyes, time stopping around them, their lips parted as they try to even their breaths. She almost forgot how Sasuke can make her feel. Looking at him above her, his hair a curtain of midnight sky over his beautiful eyes, she can't stop the thought to enter her mind again. This was the man she loved since she was too young to understand what it actually meant to love somebody. Sasuke is the man that never failed to show how much he loved her and never doubted her for a second. But _she_ did.

A sudden striking pain hits her chest. She had doubted her feelings, their relationship and even Sasuke's love for her. And that just because he did what he had to do; because he worked hard to make her bath in luxuries and fulfill his childhood dream. He once had admitted to her how much he wished to rule over his father's firm one day. She had seen the determination and passion in his eyes and she had vowed to herself that day that she will be by his side through all of it. She will support him, take care of him when he overworks himself and never forget to remind him what an incredible person he is.

When she had the chance to leave for the offered job in Suna, she just couldn't accept it. Sasuke had told her that it's her choice and that he will accept her decision no matter what. But even though he had spoken those words to her, she saw it all over his face. He didn't want her to leave so she didn't. She told herself it was the best for them, for _her_. She knew that no matter how famous the laboratory in Suna was, she could never feel happy and fulfilled without Sasuke by her side. He had been there throughout her life, at good and bad times, and his presence was needed like air. She needed him near her. So just like that, she refused the job, shocking her family, friends, the whole staff from Suna and even her past teachers. Sakura didn't care what others thought. It didn't matter at all that everyone told her what a stupid decision she had taken and how she will regret it in the future. It all went to deaf ears. The only thing she cared about was being with Sasuke because there was no happier place than beside him. He was a part of her. There was no _life_ without him. The way he had squeezed her into his arms and kissed her like there was no tomorrow the day Sakura told him she was going to stay in Konoha, made Sakura realize it was indeed the best decision, contrary to everyone else's beliefs.

"What are you thinking about?"

She blinks, coming back from her thoughts. Sasuke is still hovering above her, his body supported into his forearms on both sides of Sakura. He gives her a half curious half amused glance at her moment of spacing out.

"I don't think I could live without you, Sasuke," she admits, a small sincere smile on her lips. She brushes his bangs aside to look better into his eyes.

"Good, because I'm not going to leave you. _Ever._ " His words are covered in honey and the softness of them caresses her soul. He's not going anywhere. He will never leave her. Sasuke will always be hers and that's all she needs.

She truly believes that but then why does her mind betray her once again? Why do her ill thoughts come back at such a moment?

 _He's never leaving? He already did. He already does that every day. He is like a guest in his own house. He's never home. Sasuke is not there for you. His job is more important for him._

Her heads spins even though she's not moving. Why? Why does she think such things when she should focus on the present, on Sasuke's body above hers; on his perfect lips against her skin? Why in the name of God can't she stop the rush of new and new hurtful thoughts? This is a perfect moment. Sasuke took his day off for her and here she goes again, her own brain betraying her in the most heart-stabbing way. What is _wrong_ with her?

The gentle squeeze of his large hand on her breast help her push her thoughts away, hopefully as far away as possible and forever. But even after managing to ignore her mind, her mood had still dropped low to the ground. How was she supposed to have him inside her when she had just thought about all those things? How could she look into his eyes again when she feels so treacherous? She doesn't even deserve his touches, kisses and loving words.

But then again, how can she deny him her body? After everything, how could she pull away from him, or push him away? It will break his heart so fast that she feels her vital organ clenching just at the thought of Sasuke's pained expression at her rejection. She can't do that do him. But she can't continue either. What can she do? Few more minutes and she'll start to cry again. She knows it, she can feel it. What will Sasuke think if she'll start to cry again for the second time of the day? He'll probably think she doesn't want him, or that she isn't happy with him. She'll make him feel bad, _again_.

He's nibbling on her neck, his hands touching every inch of her body and she didn't even felt it. She didn't even realize how close his hands were to her womanhood. Her heart is beating so fast that she might just have a heart attack. On a second thought, that doesn't even sound that bad in the moment. She was plain _horrible_.

A loud ring made Sasuke in his tracks, his mouth leaving her neck to leave out an annoyed growl.

Ah. There it was. _Duty_ _calls_. Sakura doesn't know how can she feel so relieved.

"I have to take this," he says, giving her an apologetic glance. She just nods in response, pulling her lips into a reassuring smile. Sakura really hopes he can't see how fake it is.

In one second, he's gone, leaving her hot and cold at the same time. She feels like a corpse. Her mind and heart must be rotted too. Her eyes move absentmindedly towards Sasuke. He watches as he runs a hand through his messy hair while holding his phone to his ear with the other one. His whole body glisters with sweat and he looks just like an angel. A few meters away, Sakura is sure she's the devil at the moment. Or at least, she's gone completely mad.

"Naruto just arrived in town with Hinata," he announces as soon as he ends the call, "they invited us to lunch at his old apartment…," he stops, his eyes unfocused and he sighs after what seems like ages. "He has to leave tonight so we should get ready."

Sakura doesn't know what facial expression she has and Sasuke leaves the room far too fast to regard it either. Her heart skips a beat and there is only one thought that rings in her mind over and over again as she lies half naked on the couch.

 _He knew Naruto will come to Konoha. Their blond friend_ always _tells them_ _about his visits at least two days ahead._ He knew. _Sasuke didn't take his day off for her. He took his day off for Naruto._

* * *

 **A/N: So this was it for this** **chapter.**

 **Reviews are always appreciated and taken in consideration as always. So please take your time to leave one on your way out.**

 **Xoxo, Adenna.**


	3. C3: Are you unhappy?

**A/N: I didn't update any story in sooo long. But are you still surprised? You should have known by now that I am shitty like that.**

 **Also, I am away for the summer and don't have my laptop with me. I've been really busy and to be honest, I even forgot about my stories. Ups!**

 **Anyway, I upload this from my phone so if anything looks off, this is the reason.I completely adored and felt like crying when I read your reviews. You are simply amazing and I love you all so much!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters.**

* * *

 **Summary: She loves him and he loves her too. But what exactly is love? And how do you know when you fall out of it? Is there really something wrong in their relationship or she's just over thinking herself to sleep? Does she have the right to feel unhappy or she's ungrateful? Somehow, she finds all those answers where she never thought she would; and it changes her life completely.**

* * *

 **What is love?**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Are you unhappy?**

* * *

 _"Don't you dare fucker!"_

 _"Come on Ino, it's just wa-"_

 _"Take a step closer and I swear to God I'm going to murder you. I bought this top yesterday," she hisses, blue eyes narrowed._

 _Naruto's grin only grows, twisting the half full bottle of water playfully in front of him._

 _"You lost the bet, Ino. Now come here and get wet," Naruto barely manages to say in between his loud chuckles._

 _"Can you not say such perverted things to my girlfriend?" Sai mutters with a frown._

 _"Shut up, Sai!" the blond retorts, rolling his eyes. "It was your girlfriend who said that she will pour water on herself if Sak and teme are going to become a couple by the end of the year."_

 _"You can't remember a short math formula, but you can remember what I said fucking months ago?" Ino snaps, taking a step back right after when Naruto takes one forward._

 _"I never forget a bet," the blond shrugs, faking a throwing motion with his hand that holds the bottle in a strong grip._

 _Sakura takes a swig from her beer can and throws Naruto a glare. "I can't believe you make bets on my love life."_

 _"On mine, too," Sasuke adds from beside her with a scoff. His arm hangs losely over her shoulders, drawing invisible circles around her arm, while her head rests on his chest._

 _A few of them gathered into the parking lot of an abandoned industry building to hang out during a friday night. They got some beers and everything went just fine until Naruto remembered Ino's words._

 _"Spare me this bullshit," Ino snorts. "You both had no love life before."_

 _"With an obvious reason," Sasuke grunts, looking half annoyed, half embaressed._

 _"Oh my God, Uchiha. Are you.. blushing?" Sai fakes a surprised tone before his lips pull into a smirk._

 _"Fuck off!"_

 _"Can you stop picking up on us?" Sakura snaps out of nowhere, raising her head to give Sai a murderous glare._

 _"Sasuke is emb-" Ino starts with a grin but suddenly screams when a splash of water hits her right in the face, wetting half of her new top as well in the process._

 _She wipes at her face, glad that for once she decided no to wear any type of make-up, and without warning she runs fast to Naruto, taking a hars grip on the now empty plastic bottle. It's easy to take it out of his hand because of his surprise and in a second, Ino is slamming it into Naruto's back and shoulder like she has gone completely crazy._

 _"You dipshit! I will end you!"_

 _Despite all of it, Naruto can't stop from laughing, gripping on his stomach instead of protecting himself._

 _"I'm dying," he screams, his exagerated laugh echoing through the whole area. "I wish I would have recorded that in slow motion."_

 _"I'll make you move in slow motion for the rest of your life, you idiot!" Ino yells at him, blonde hair glued on her temples and cheeks as she looks like she won't stop on hitting him too soon._

 _Sasuke shakes his head bemused, a smirk dancing on his lips. Even Sakura lets out a few chuckles at the whole scene. It was almost the end of their senior year and Sakura could have never imagined it going so well. She has her crazy friends by her side, her email is full with college offers and then.. her eyes move up to look at Sasuke just to find him staring back at her. His eyes are gentle, just as the touch of his fingers over her skin._

 _Sasuke Uchiha is finally hers. When he closes the distance between them and places a small peck on her lips, Sakura thinks she can't be any happier than this._

 _"Ew guys, gross!"_

* * *

Naruto swings the door open so fast that it makes Sakura's black dress flow back around her legs for a moment. She doesn't get to say a word before the blond pulls her into a bear hug, warmness covering her like a thick blanket. He swings her twice, also pressing his mouth on her cheek into a sloppy kiss before placing her back on the floor, but still keeping his arms around her small frame.

"Sakura! I missed you," he chimes, his grin bright as the sun.

"Leave her alone, idiot," she hears Sasuke's voice from behind her. He snatches her back from Naruto's arms, placing a protective arm around her middle. Sakura's body freezes.

"Oh come on, teme, she's my best friend and I missed her. You don't have to be so jealous."

Sasuke's retort stucks in his throat as his best friend squeezes him into an embrace, slapping a hand on his back. "And I missed you, too."

An annoyed growl escapes Sasuke's lips but he slams a hand on the blond's back in return, nonetheless.

Sakura can only watch her two boys -no, men, with a smile. She finds herself forgetting all the hurt for a moment as she glances at Naruto's happy grin. It isn't easy to pretend that she isn't on the verge of crumbling on the floor like a castle in ruins, but she has to do her best for Naruto and Hinata. She also missed her blond friend dearly. Since he moved with Hinata to Suna, they didn't get to talk too much. However, Sakura knows their bond is as strong as it used to be. She smiles just thinking at that. There's no way she will let herself look anything but happy in front of them.

The small amount of make-up she applied must have helped hiding her earlier break down just fine, because Naruto didn't give her any worried glances.

Looking at her blond bestfriend, she thinks that maybe it won't be hard to forget her inner turmoil for a while. Naruto always made her happy no matter what. He would gather her tears and dry them with his sunny smile and warm words. He always crushed her into his arms and protected her. Maybe, Sakura lets herself think, maybe her best friend could kill her ill thoughts too.

Hinata was also all smile and warm arms around her as soon as they stepped into their old dining-room. She looks as beautiful as Sakura remembers. Her long, raven hair cascades over her shoulders and down her back and with her white summer dress, she looks just like an angel.

Happy. Hinata radiates happiness. Compared to her, Sakura feels misserable. She doesn't let it show on her face though. Sakura pulls out her best smile for the woman, before sitting down next to Sasuke at the table.

The food in front of her looks delicious. She side-glances at her boyfriend. He snorts; probably at something Naruto said. Sakura didn't even heard exactly what.

She needs to put her thoughts aside. Maybe Sasuke is tired enough to not catch her drastic change of mood. However, Naruto might see right through her mask if she doesn't pull herself together. After all, he is one of her best friends. No matter how dense he looks, the blond knows her too well. Maybe even more than Sasuke and Ino.

The two men start talking about projects and contracts in between bites. They don't give her any attention. She glances at Hinata. She is looking at her as she's chewing slowly on her food. There is a small crest between her brows. Sakura gives her a smile. Hinata doesn't reciprocate the gesture. Did Hinata see between the cracks in her mask? She really hopes that she didn't. But the way she is looking at her, like Sakura has written 'miserable' on her forehead. She looks almost worried.

Sakura briefly lowers her gaze. The food in her plate glares back at her. She doesn't feel like eating. It's like her dark thoughts and unstable feelings make her unworthy to even eat. She knows she has to, though. Otherwise, Sakura will make everyone suspicious. She already cried in front of Sasuke and made him feel bad. No need to make him worry even more. It will break her heart to know she hurts Sasuke again.

It's supposed to be a happy meeting between friends. They are all supposed to be happy. So, with that in mind, Sakura ignores Hinata's stare burning on her head, and grabs her fork.

The fact that Hinata's cooking skills have always been the best deffinitely helps Sakura munch on her first bite of steak and vegetables. Just after her forth bite she realizes that all eyes are on her. She gulps down the food in her mouth rather fast, almost chocking on a small piece of brocolli that she didn't chew enough on.

It takes her a whole moment to realize the glass of water Sasuke has streched out for her. All she can think of as she takes big gulps is Naruto's crocked eyebrow and the upside down curve of the corner of his mouth. If he will question her about anything she might as well break in a thousand pieces.

Sasuke was enough. Worrying two of her dearest people on earth in the same day would be too much for her.

"Were you not eating properly lately, Sakura?"

Sakura. Naruto had been calling her Sak for years now. He only used her proper name when he was talking serious.

She gulps down, though there is nothing going down her throat as her mouth is dry as the dessert.

While she searches every corner of her mind for a good answer and to keep the corners of her mouth from falling, blue eyes move on Sasuke.

"Don't tell me you're not taking care of her, teme," Naruto's words come out with an accusing tone.

"Why would you even think that, dobe?" Sasuke inquires with a crocked brow, his hand placing down the fork on the edge of his plate.

The air in the room shifted into a hard to breath one. Sakura coughs then pulls out her best fake laugh.

"Now boys, don't fight," she says with feighed cherful voice.

Both men move their eyes on her. She can't see exactly what kind of look Sasuke is giving her because she locks her eyes with Naruto.

The blond one doesn't smile which is already a bad sign.

"Naruto, I have bee-"

"Don't lie to me," Naruto cuts her off short, his worried gaze almost hurtful to look into. Sakura does her best not to let her smile fall.

She doesn't want to. She really doesn't want to lie to Sasuke, Ino, and now to him too. Sakura just doesn't know what to say; how to explain everything she's been through lately. She doesn't want to worry them either. No matter what she does, things can't work out well. She just can't seem to find the right way to get out of this situation.

"You're a slow eater, Sakura. We used to finish our meals while you were half way through yours," the blond continues, placing his own silverware down to cross his arms over his chest. "But now you stuffed your mouth like you haven't been eating in weeks."

A week, if Sakura think about it.

She lets out a chuckle nonetheless. This time, she only has to fake it a bit. After all, that sentence brings back memories of Naruto having five ramen bowls as one meal.

"Don't be stupid, Naruto. That's because you ate double, if not triple more than me," she brushes him off with a short laugh.

"Coming to think of it, I'm surprised you eat vegetables," Sasuke adds with a scoff.

"Hey! Hina's meals are the best in the world," the blond protests, the worry on his face covered by a bright smile.

"He had two bowl of ramen at breakfast," Hinata sighs with a shake of her head. There's a small smile forming on her lips anyways.

"Do not make this about me," Naruto snaps, pointing an accusing finger at Sasuke, the later only raising a brow in response. "Why aren't you taking good care of Sakura?"

Sakura doesn't have the courage to look at either Sasuke or Naruto. The lump in her throat is hard as a rock and she feels her mask cracking more with each passing second of silence. She can't keep on like this. She can't see her two dearest people fighting because of her. She wants so bad to say something, to end this nightmare but she can't. If she were to even try opening her mouth, she's afraid her voice will come out like a cry for help and that would only make things worse.

"Enough, Naruto," Hinata suddenly says, her usual angelic tone now slightly demanding.

Sakura's eyes snap to her, wide and pleading. The raven-haired girl doesn't look at her though, her pearly eyes fixed on her husband.

Naruto's head turns to Hinata, his mouth parted in surprise and brows furrowed.

"But Hina-"

"No buts," Hinata interrupts him, shaking her head slightly. "If you have time to fight, I believe you are done eating."

Her head does turn to Sakura this time, her gaze softening and lips forming a small smile.

"Would you help me clean this up, please?"

Sakura nods, unable to form words. She glances down at Sasuke warily just to find him staring at her.

He doesn't look annoyed anymore, but his eyes are narrowed if only a bit, and his mouth is pulled into a straigh line. What is he thinking? Is he blaming her for destroying their lunch together? Or maybe mad at her for not trying too hard to deny Naruto's accusations?

She's so caught up in his intense stare that she needs a few seconds to register the plate he's holding up towards her. When she looks back at him, his brow is slightly crocked and his eyes more gentle.

Sakura feels embaresed. No, she feels more than that. The whole scene from earlier left her all cold inside, like a whole block of ice grew in her guts. Sasuke didn't deserve Naruto's harsh words and tone. He doesn't deserve to be treated like a worthless boyfriend. Sakura doesn't even deserve him.

She grabs the plate from his streched out hand, a shiver running down her spine as her fingers brush against his. This time, she doesn't dare to look up, turning around to face Hinata that was also holding a couple plates and following her towards the kitchen like a zombie.

Her friend is silent as she throws into the trashcan the remains of food and places the empty plates into the sink. Sakura only mirrors her actions, trying her best to ignore the way her heart is hammering into her chest.

Only when Hinata lets the water pour inside the sink and over the plates, does she open her mouth to speak.

"I apologise," she says, her voice almost a whisper. Her back is turned to Sakura as she cleans the silverware with a sponge and the pinkette is grateful for it. She doesn't feel like faking another smile. She doesn't feel like lying anymore to anyone.

"For.. what?" she manages from behind her, her arms hanging at her sides like they were too heavy to even lift them. She doesn't even want to speak because she knows her voice comes out cracked and tired.

Hinata's hands halt in place for a second before going back to her work.

"Naruto might come out a bit.. too harsh. But that's because he cares about you," she explaines.

She knows that already. And she is sure Hinata knows that she is well aware of it, too. So the pinkette doesn't realize why was she even apologising, or explaining Naruto's behaviour. She would never blame any of them.

"I know what you are thinking, but Naruto was wrong. He shouldn't have commented on your relationship like that. I know you guys are best friends since middle school, and.." she stopped as she tapped the water off and grabbed a towel from near the sink. She dryed her hands slowly before placing the piece of material back in its' place.

When she turns around, Hinata's expression is so soft and loving that Sakura feels like crying. She doesn't even deserve these people. They are too good and kind and she is too damn horrible.

Hinata's small hand lands on her shoulder in a firm but gentle grip and she gives her a small smile.

"You guys love each other a lot, I know you do. But Naruto had no right to say those words," she continued.

Sakura tried to mirror her smile but she couldn't fake one in front of this lovely creature. So she keeps her mouth closed, and eyes wide on the woman. She doesn't know how to answer to that. Her words were the truth, but she still feels like she fucked up.

"Do.." Hinata seems to hesitate as her brows come together, her hand still on Sakura's shoulder. "If you want to talk about anything.. I mean," she looks like she can't find the right words, but Sakura understands anyway.

"I know. Thank you."

And this time, she does manage to give her an honest smile. Hinata had always been such a warm and gentle woman. Caring and sweet. Sakura knows Hinata would listen to her if she were to speak her heart out. She wouldn't judge either.

In contrast to Ino, who had always been a bit too harsh in her honesty and a bit too straight forward with her words, Hinata is anything but. She is easily approachable and has this kind of aura around her that made people around her feel good and safe. Feel like they could confide anything in her.

Sakura loves both women, but she knows Ino would judge and comment without really realizing when she hurts someone. The blonde believes friendship means honesty and Sakura agrees, but it also means knowing your friends' personality and knowing how to approach any topic without hurting them.

Hinata is that kind of person. But that is maybe because she had always been a deep, emotional person herself. Contrary to Ino who was rather blunt, confident and not really a soft soul.

"I-" Sakura started but the moment she says that word, her mouth closes. She wants to let everything out but once again she hits the same wall. What exactly does she feel? Why isn't she happy lately? How can she describe something she can't understand either?

"I don't really know what's wrong with me lately," she admits, lowering her gaze. She feels no tears in her eyes. Maybe she had dried them all out in the morning. But nonetheless, her voice is low and sad, her expression contorting between confusion and exhaustion.

"I wish I knew, so I could pull myself together. I don't want people around me blaming themselves for-"

"Sakura."

At Hinata's silk-like voice, her head snaps up to look at her. She is not smiling anymore, and her frown deepened into a worried expression.

Sakura gulps down, her throat dry.

"You do not have to blame yourself for anything. Especially for those two bickering," the woman reasures her. "Maybe you need to try doing something new? I know routine can make us feel quite low sometimes."

Sakura gives her a confused glance. Do what? Reading didn't help. Going out. Watching movies. Cooking. She tried everything but at the end of the day she still fell into bed all emotionally drained. And maybe she tried too hard to ignore it, or deny it, but once again it hits her like a shower of cold water.

Every night she goes to sleep alone, wrapped in cold sheets, on a bed that's too big for her small frame. She can't sleep because his perfume doesn't make her feel like he's there, beside her. It reminds her that he's not. And when he finally gets into bed with her, she doesn't want him to be there because she feels like a complete mess and she doesn't want him to see her like that.

"I'll try," she answers despite knowing that she already did and it was useless.

Hinata looks unsure for a moment, before she lets her smile grow ever the slightest and pulls her into a hug. A warm, soothing hug. Before she knows it, Sakura wraps her arms around the other women and lets her feminine, flowery perfume calm her down. It doesn't smell like musk. It doesn't smell like Sasuke or even her perfume she got from him once. It smells like something her mother used to spray on her neck before she left for work. Sakura didn't realize how much she had missed it.

"Just promise me you'll call if you need anything," Hinata almost begs when they pull apart.

Sakura nods, grateful for this amazing human being. She finally feels like her emotions had calmed down from stiring inside her like a tornado. She grasps Hinata's hands into her own and gives her one of the happiest smiles she pulled off in the last week.

"Thank you."

* * *

If Naruto's eyes are usually blue like the sky on a sunny day, his orbs look more and more blue like ice. He looks pissed and annoyed and hurt and so many feelings at once that Sasuke doesn't know how exactly he feels. One thing he knows for sure, though.

Sasuke was so angry at his best friend that if it wasn't for the two women in the same room when the whole scene happened between the two, he would have punched the shit out of him.

Naruto had insulted him not only regarding his boyfriend behaviour, but as a friend, too. He had trashed his relationship with Sakura in front of the pinkette, of all people, like he knew shit about what was happening.

"Good job, idiot," he scoffs, crossing his arms over his chest and giving the blond an annoyed stare.

Naruto wasn't slow as his face contorted in pure shock and then anger.

"Excuse me? It is you who had Sakura acti-"

"Acting like what?" Sasuke snaps, though keeping his tone leveled. "She looked damn fine before you started questioning her fucking eating habits."

Blue eyes narrow, and Sasuke is surprised that no tint of guilt shows on his tanned face. Naruto had always been too damn emotional and he was fast to feel guilty even when it wasn't his fault. Not this time, though. And this got Sasuke's anger flare even more.

"What the fuck was all that about, huh?" Sasuke inquires, trying his best not to yell at the idiot. Sakura and Hinata are in the kitchen and the later had closed the door after them, but if they started to yell at each other, there was no way they wouldn't hear.

"Do not dare put the blame on me," the blond retorts back. Then he let out a deep sigh and Sasuke finally can see it. The guilt on his face, the way his eyes go soft and the curve of frustration at the corner of his mouth.

"Are you blind?"

Sasuke can't let the anger get the better of him. Not when his best friend is giving him such a serious look.

"Sakura is fucking skinny. She looks exhausted even though she isn't working. She's pale and.. different," he finishes with in a low tone, his eyes lowering on a invisible spot on the table.

Sasuke remains silent at those words. It isn't like he is a damn idiot. Of course he had seen all of that. He wakes up every damn morning near her. They eat breakfast together. Maybe he never questioned it, but that didn't mean he is blind to all of it.

Sakura is more quiet, a bit more emotional and maybe even slighty needer. Her appetite isn't how he remembers it and he can clearly see the tiredness in her eyes.

But this is Sakura. She isn't only his girlfriend, but also his best friend. If something was bothering her, she would have told him. She always did. When he ate her ice cream one night he got home from work late. When he forgot to buy milk. When he pulled all the covers from her in his sleep. That one time when he had declined her call because he was in an important meeting.

Every damn time, Sakura had voiced clearly her dislikes and reasons for her anger without hesitation.

If he had done something wrong, why wouldn't she do the same now?

On a second thought, her crying session in the morning made him so aware and worried that it hurt the heart in his chest. He would have never expected her to cry like that. So desperate and with never ending tears. She looked so broken that Sasuke had been scared to even touch her. It also made him feel incredibly guilty. He knows that he haven't been at home too much. And as understanding as Sakura could be, it isn't fair for her to be waiting for him at home every day.

Sakura does go out, but not too often. He can't even imagine how hard it must be for her to stay alone in their house all day.

If he had been guilty all day since morning, now it reached a new level. Naruto is right. He had been a bad boyfriend. He loves her and she knows it too well. But maybe that isn't enough.

"I don't know if you did something wrong, but if you did," Naruto starts, his gaze hard as he stares him down, "you better fix it."

Sasuke lets out a deep breath, a hand running through his locks and brushing them backwards before they fell back in place.

"I've been busy with a lot of deals lately," he admits.

He didn't have to say more. By the way Naruto's eyes narrowed, he knows the blond got the meaning behind those words.

"You're neglecting her? You bastard," Naruto hisses with poison in his voice. "Sak gave up her whole life for you, you ungrateful fuc-"

"I did not make her do-"

"Don't you dare say you didn't make her decline all those job offers because that's bullshit," the blond interrupted him with a scoff. "Maybe you didn't say it outloud but everybody knew you didn't want her to leave, including her."

Sasuke's eyes narrow into slits as he can't believe the words coming out of his supposed to be best friend mouth.

"I told her clearly that it was her decision. I did not force her to stay by my side. It was her decision," Sasuke repeats, feeling himself going angry with each passing second.

Maybe he isn't perfect. But he will never force her to do anything. Yes, he had wanted her to stay in Konoha with him. Yes, he had told her that, too. Because he had wanted her to know that she wouldn't need to work anything if she were to stay by his side. There was no need for that. Sasuke makes enough money to take care of anything and everything she wants. But never did he force her to stay.

"Her decisions revolve around what you want since we were fourteen." Naruto shakes his head in disbelief. "Do not take advantage of that."

Sasuke is done. His teeth grit together, glaring at Naruto as hard as he can. He unfoldes his crossed arms and places one large hand on top of the table.

"It's that what you think about me? Have I ever took advantage of Sakura? Have I ever did anything to hurt her? Have I?" he stresses out, barely managing to control himself from snapping completely and start yelling at the blond.

Naruto isn't at all fazed by the cold tone. He leaned back into his chair and gives Sasuke a look the later can't quite read.

"No, you did not do anything intentional but sometimes we do mistakes we are not aware of," he says with a sigh. "I won't ask her myself just because I know she will lie and I don't know if I can look at her while she gives me a fake smile."

Sasuke opens his mouth, but closes it as soon as he hears the kitchen door click open. He gives Naruto a warning glance but finds that Naruto has the same expression on his face.

"Naruto, Hinata told me you met Suna's president," Sakura's voice makes both men look at her.

She's.. maybe a bit different from earlier. Her smile looks more genuine and her whole body more relaxed.

She sits down near him, Hinata taking back her own place as well, and tilts her head to him. Her lips are curved. Her emerald eyes he fell in love with sparkle with a bit more life than earlier. Her, right now, reminds him of the old highschool Sakura. Full of life and energy. Sasuke feels like the biggest moron. He lives with this beauty. He could have her any day of the week, at any hour and here he is. Barely managing to stay in her presence because Naruto had invited them to lunch.

He almost hesitates when he reaches a hand and places it on her knee. For a second, she stills, her eyes moving briefly to where he's touching her, before looking straight at Naruto.

"Well," she drawls in, "tell me about the famous Sabaku."

Naruto blinks bewildered and then his whole attitude changes in a second. His mouth opens in a big grin, showing off most of his white teeth.

"Oh my God, Sak. He's such a cool guy," he beams. "Just imagine, the dude is only a few years older than us and he's the damn president. Everybody says he's a bit cold but you know, I talked to him and-"

Sasuke shuts off Naruto's rambling. He doesn't really care. The only thing he can think about is how Sakura's smaller and gentle hand wrapped around his own, squeezing slighty, while she continued to listen to the blond.

* * *

Sakura is silent. Sasuke doesn't know what to say about it. She had been all smiles and chuckles after she came back from the kitchen with Hinata. She had even cracked a few witty remarks that made everyone laugh.

But as soon as they shared hugs with the other couple and left their old apartment, Sakura's expression turned into a blank, unreadable one. It is something weird to witness. She had always been an open book, wearing her heart on her sleeve and showing her feelings and emotions without hesitation.

Sasuke steals a glance at her. She's sitting like a lifeless puppet into the passager seat of his car, the street lights they are passing by flashing over her flawless skin. It is already getting dark outside. They had lost track of time and also made their friends miss the flight. Naruto and Hinata didn't seem to mind though, as the blond brushed the matter aside with a wave of his hand and said that his early meeting from the next day can be postponed.

Sasuke wishes he could say the same thing about the one he had this evening. His phone has a lot of missing calls and texts but he can't find himself to answer to any of them. He will deal with it tomorrow. For now..

"Sakura," he says, disturbing the silence he can't stand even a second more.

"Yes?"

She doesn't look at him. Even more, her eyes seem to glance on her window. Sasuke's brows furrow.

He stops at a red light and turns his head to look at her.

"What's wrong?"

The few second she takes before answering feels like years. But eventually, she turns her head to him, eyes blinking slowly.

"What do you mean?" she asks as if none of them could feel the tension in the air.

Sasuke feels himself grow frustrated. She cries then she's fine. Then she act all weird, then she's back to her old self, just to give him the cold shoulder right after. What the hell is her problem?

He can see the green light flash over her emotionless face and his eyes narrow. His foot slams on the throttle pedal, eyes glaring on the road ahead. She doesn't comment anything on it, but he can feel her stare burning on his right side of his face, questioning. Without thinking more, he turns to the right in the first intersection. At the sudden change of their road back home, Sakura does open her mouth to speak.

"Where are we going, Sasuke?" There's not much emotion in her voice, but Sasuke can hear the surprise and curiosity hidden behind it.

He doesn't answer and she isn't questioning his actions again. Instead, she pulls her head and looks forward toward the road that gets more and more familiar. Eventually, Sasuke pulls into the parking lot of an abandoned industry building they both know too well.

They had spent many of their highschool nights coming here and just hanging around, listening to music and drinking beers with their old friends. The place was always deserted during the night, and so is now.

Sasuke steps on the break a bit too hard, making the car halt into a stop. Sakura doesn't even get the chance to open her mouth before Sasuke unfastens his belt and gets out of the car, slamming the door shut behind him.

It takes Sakura a whole minute to get out of the car as well. She walks around the front of the car and stop in front of Sasuke, who is now leaning against the driver's door.

He's looking at her with dark, unpatient eyes but her emerald ones look around the shadows lurking over the place before they land on him.

"We haven't been here since our senior year," she says low, looking half lost in memories. There's a small smile on her lips and it makes all his insides twirl. She looks maybe a bit sad, but she's still as beautiful as she was in the past.

Her hand comes up to brush her loose strands behind her ear, eyes locked with his like they were in a staring contest.

No. She is even more beautiful than the years before. Sakura has matured and bloomed into the most elegant and beautiful woman he had ever layed his eyes on.

Sasuke gulps the lump in his throat, trying his best not to attack her with kisses all over her body. He knows this is not the best moment for that. Not when she looks like a broken doll.

He had been so fucking stupid. Now that he looks at her, really looks at her, he can see how hard she's trying to keep herself composed.

"Do I make you unhappy, Sakura?" he whispers.

* * *

 **A/N: It had been a pain in the ass to upload from my phone, no jokes! Again, I have to say that if there are any mistakes of any kind in this chapter, it is because I couldn't look over it properly like I do from my laptop and I am trully sorry for that.**

 **I do hope that you enjoyed this chapter tho! For those who are waiting for Shisui to show up, no worries! It will happen soon but the story needs to reach a certain point first.**

 **As usual, I love reading reviews, even if you have something to criticize. So please make sure to leave one after reading. Thank you!**

 **XOXO, Adenna.**


	4. C4: Yours until tomorrow

**A/N: Back with another chapter because I either post soon after the previous chapter, or in months.. hehe.**

 **Once again, I am uploadind this from my phone and is so damn annying. I miss my laptop, foe real. So I feel the need to apologise once again for any mistakes I might have missed. I'm really sorry for it. I promise I'll do my best from now on.**

 **Thank you to all of you who support me with this story and for the lovely reviews!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters.**

* * *

 **What is love?**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Yours until tomorrow**

* * *

"Do I make you unhappy, Sakura?"

This one simple question is enough to make Sakura feel like the whole sky fell on her. She had been maybe a bit anxious and afraid of what Sasuke will say to her. His annoyance had been palpable the whole ride and Sakura had been sure that if she were to open her mouth and try to speak, nothing good will happen.

Hinata had helped her compose herself but she didn't expect to all crash into ruins the second she remained alone in Sasuke's presence. She feels so stupid. There is not one single person who knows her better than Sasuke. He had seen her cry before. He had seen her all exposed, body, mind and soul, all naked for his hungry eyes.

And yet, Sakura realizes just now, that being left alone with him makes her uncomfortable. It is easy to be around him when everything goes well and smooth. But not now. Not when she feels lost in a place with no escape. Now when she doesn't even know exactly how she feels or why it's happening. All she knows is that there's no way she can let Sasuke see her like this.  
So instead of hurting him more, instead of showing him a part of her she didn't even know until recently that it even exists, Sakura chose to hide everything behind a cold mask.

She knows this couldn't make it any better, but she would take anything besides letting Sasuke see behind her feighned smiles. Because that would only bring more questions, and Sakura really doesn't have an answer to any of them. Or at least, none of the answers would make sense to either of them.

"Why are you asking me this all of a sudden?" she questions instead, brows furrowed.  
The question hurts her as much as it hurts him. Sakura can see it in his eyes. In those endless, black pools that she had loved getting lost into.

"Do I?" he presses, his tone desperate and agravated. "Because if I do.." he trails off, hands coming up over his face. His fingers rub at the exhaustion gathered under his eyes and he lets out a deep sigh. "Fuck, Sakura. I don't want you to feel unhappy with me. I fucking love you and seeing you hurt because of me.." he shakes his head, eyelids half open as he looks at her with a pained expression painted all over his features.

Looking at him now, all tired and stressed, and hurt.. he had never looked so heartbreaking before.  
Sakura doesn't know if her heart could race any faster before it slams out of her chest. It's like all her inner struggles had morphed into true physical pain. Her chest is constricted with hidden emotions but she can not let him see her crashing twice during a single day. Or even better, never again.

"No," she whispers. "No, Sasuke. You could never-"

"Then why?" he asks, his tone demanding, but not cold. "Why were you crying this morning? Why didn't you fucking say a word when Naruto jumped on me with accusations? Please let me know. Maybe I am fucking stupid and I don't get it so please, Sakura, explain it to me."

Sakura can't even bring herself to lift her hands and wrap them around him, even though she feels that there had never been a time she needed it most. But maybe this time his hugs won't bring her comfort like they used to. And by the way his eyes flicker each time he blink with unleashed anger, Sakura knows that for now it's better to keep an invisible barrier between them.

"I tried to-"

"Bullshit," he snaps, surprising Sakura with his sudden outburts. And as if someone else had possessed him when it happened, Sasuke's eyes widen for just a fraction. Then they close, eyelids squeezed shut as he runs a hands through his now messy locks.

"I'm sorry," he whispers, making his voice sound as apologetic as he can.

But it's too late. Sakura's fists are clenched at her sides, eyes narrowed. Her whole body is an earthquake of emotions. Her heart feels like a vulcano ready to explode with words she knows she will regret later. So she keeps her mouth closed into a straight line, looking at him with betrayel and hurt into her emerald orbs.

"Sakura, I'm sorry. I'm so fucking sorry, I-"

"Don't," she interrupts him, niether yelling or sounding mad. She shakes her head, and scoffs.  
When was the last time Sasuke had snapped at her like this? Probably never. Or she can't remember even one time it happened, anyway.

Yes, she had been emotional. Yes, she had cried first thing after waking up and completely destroyed the moment. But she does not deserve to be yelled at. She does not deserve to be blamed for Naruto's words.

Sasuke's whole face contorts into a painful one. It streched all over his aristocratic and handsome features. But for once, Sakura is too damn tired and hurt to listen to her heart.

"Let's go home," she says low, deciding to look down at Sasuke's shinny shoes, rather than his eyes. She can't look at him. Because he looks so damn hurt, but she's hurting even more.

The moment she turns around, his hand grabs her wrist, long and slim fingers clasped into a firm grip. Sakura wants nothing more than pulling her hand away like his touch is fire. But she can't. She can be angry at him, but never at such levels to actually push him away. She knows too well that Sasuke feels guilty anyway. There's no need to make him feel even worse.

When he lets go of her hand, just to wrap his arms around her middle and push his body unto her back, Sakura stills like the time has stopped.

"I'm so sorry, Sakura," he whispers into her hair. She can hear the honesty in his voice. She knows he is sorry, and even more than that. She knows it hurts him just as it has hurted her. "I'm an idiot. I- I don't know what has gotten into me. I love you and I want you to be happy. And when Naruto-"

"Shut up, Sasuke," she breathes out.

It's Sasuke. This person who is apologising to her is her Sasuke. The love of her life. The man of her dreams. And a part of her wants to be mad at him. But the other part that will forever love him will always win, no matter what.

She hears him sigh, deep and full of emotions. It tickles her neck softly and it makes her insides stir with a new feeling.

His hard body is glued to hers like a second skin. His hands are so tight around her waist, like he's scared that she will escape through his fingers like sand.

Sakura squeezes her eyes shut, mentally cursing herself for being such an emotional mess lately.

"I'm sorry," he says again, his tone now soft and calming like a summer breeze. Like the whisper of the waves hitting against the shore. And still, she's drowning in him, sinking deeper into his whole being. More and more, until she's nothing but his.

She breathes in his scent. Strong and masculine. It makes her dizzy. It's so familiar and yet so alien. When he caresses her abdomen, it's like the thin material of her dress has melted from his touch.  
It seemed impossible, but Sasuke pulls her into him even more until she can feel every curve of his front body. Her head fall in the crock between his neck and shoulder, eyes closing as she takes deep breaths in.

"I want you," she admits with all the power left inside her after so many internal fights. "I.. I miss coming here. I miss having you by my side every second of the day. Call me selfish. Call me needy or desperate but.."

Sakura opens her eyes slowly, managing to twist inside his arms to face him. When her eyes land of his face again, her whole body heats up like she is suddenly in a circle of burning flames.  
Sasuke's eyelids are half open as he glances down at her with such hunger and passion that for a moment she is left speechless. Her blood runs wild through her veins and Sakura feels the need to fidget and squirm like a shy, virgin girl.

"I miss having you all for myself," she continues, not even thinking as she speaks. It's like she's set on auto-pilot, her brain completely shut down, and body controled only by the burning desire and love for this man.

It's in the blink of an eye, that Sasuke's lips crash on hers. And for a moment, he's not even moving. Sakura can't even breath, and the closeness between them tells her that he's not doing it either. When his lips finally move on hers, Sakura could swear that her lungs are giving up all the air inside them for him.

By the time he inserts his tongue inside her wanting mouth, she's again eighteen years old Sakura. He's again Sasuke that always has her back and heart and soul. He's again the one and only who can make her knees go weak. He's again there, body and mind. And he's the only one she will ever love, with her whole being.

"Fuck, Sakura," he grunts out of breath when he finally breaks the kiss. But the next second, his hands run up her scalp and his mouth makes out with her neck like she's the most delicious meal in the world.

Sakura's hands pull blindly and desperatly on his shirt until she sets it free from the inside of his slacks. She pushes up the white cotton with the back of her hands as she runs her nails up his torso. His muscles bulge and contract under her touch. It's a real challange to keep herself from ripping every piece of clothing on him.

"I want you," she breaths out, surprising even herself with how needy she sounds. But even so, she can't find herself to care. After a week of being in her own emotional hell, there is nothing more she wants that him having her.

It takes Sasuke not more than a few seconds to lean in and wrap his arms around her tighs, pulling her off the ground. Her legs wrap around his torso and in a moment, her buttom slams on the car's slick front like Sasuke doesn't give a shit about it after the fortune he had paid on it.  
Sasuke looks like he has lost all his sanity, as he runs his hands up her sides, raising her dress up in his journey. His dark eyes are hooded with lust and shivers under his touch, goosebumps forming on her arms and legs.

"I want to fuck you right here, Sakura," he whispers into her ear, biting on her lobe right after. "I want to have my way with you right here, on my fucking car."

Sakura's answer is pushing her hips unto his groin, moaning softly when she feels him already hard under his slacks.

Sasuke doesn't even bother to take her thong down her legs, and instead he eagerly pushes the fabric covering her intimate part aside with his fingers. When he rubs against her sensitive spots, Sakura lets out a moan. She knows she's already dripping for him and the though of all this being pure lust more than anything vanishes from her mind the moment he enters a long digit inside her.  
"Just.. take me already, Sasuke," she begs.

Sakura had never seen him unbuckle his belt and pull his pants and boxers down so fast, not even after a long day at work. But Sakura refuses to think about that and instead focuses on the way he pulls on the thin thong aside and rubs his hard member against her womanhood.

She needs him by her side. She needs him home more often. She needs him to be there. And a voice in her mind keeps telling her that he will probably be gone the whole day tomorrow. But then he enters her, his thrust powerful and needy and Sakura can't really think about tomorrow. Or yesterday. Or anything beside the feeling of him inside her, stretching her and filling her whole.  
His mouth is parted as low grunts and almost silent curses escape past his lips. Sweat glisters on his forehead and Sakura didn't realize until now just how much he missed his plasured expression.

"God, I fucking love you Sakura," he says against her lips, holding her head in place with a strong grip in her now messy hair. "And I missed this so much." He pecks her lips, drinking in her soft moans. "I missed hearing you moan so beautifully."

Sakura wraps her arms tight around his shoulders and lets her head fall in the crock of his neck. She shuts down her mind and heart and concentrates only on his ragged breath and the sound of their skin slamming against each other. She does not need to hear him apoligise, or say how much he had missed her. It's not like he had done anything regarding it before.  
All she needs right now is for him to pump into her until she won't feel anything else. And as Sasuke continues to whisper sweet nothings into her ear, she continues to ignore them all.

* * *

Sakura wakes up to her phone ringing loud from her bedside table. Which is an extremly odd thing. None of her friends ever call her early enough for her to be asleep. She blinks briefly a few times and glances around the bedroom. Sasuke's side of the bed is empty and cold like he had been gone for hours. There is a minimum light coming from somewhere behind the curtains but she can't be sure if it's morning or afternoon.

She doesn't bother to glance at the watch on the wall, because the ringing of her cellphone starts once again. She lets out a sigh and reaches for her it, bringing it in front of her face as she lays back unto the plush cushions.

She answers the call while rubbing the sleep away from her eyes with her free hand.

"Ino?"

"Sak, what's with this sleepy voice? Don't tell me you were sleeping," the blond says surprised from the other line. "It's like, past twelve in the afternoon."

Sakura groans. Maybe all those sleepless nights finally caught up with her. This is the second day in the row when she sleeps in later than she ever did.

"It's not like I have anything to do early in the morning," she scoffs.  
There is silence for a moment, before Ino speaks again.

"I thought you have breakfast with Sasuke every morning?" she inquires, not sounding really interested about it, but merely stating the facts.

Well, Sakura thought so, too. But aparently Sasuke didn't wake her up before he left. And she didn't hear him get up in the morning either. Like she had been expected, Sasuke was probably already at work. And he will for sure not be back until late at night.

She supresses a bitter laugh. Nothing new.

Sure, they had sex on top of his car the previous night. Rough, desperate sex, like they haven't seen each other in years. Sakura mentally reminds herself that they didn't, in fact, sleep with each other in weeks.

When they got home the day before, they both felt so tired that Sakura passed out the minute she climbed into their bed. No surprise she still smells like pure sex, she realizes with a self-disgusted frown. At least Sasuke had taken a shower before he also came into bed. Not that Sakura remembers him doing so.

"Sakura, are you even listening to me?!"

She blinks, suddenly shameful that she just spaced out like that while on a call with her best friend.  
"Sorry, I guess I'm still sleepy," she chuckles lightly.

"You're such a mess."

Sakura can imagine Ino as she rolls her blue eyes, but she is sure the blonde has no idea how right she is.

"Anyway, as I was saying while you were rudely spacing out on me, I hope you didn't forget about tonight."

Sakura takes a moment to remember her last conversation with Ino and inwardly curses. The damn fashion show. She had completely forgot about it. With everything that she had been through in the past week, the fact that she forgot about it wasn't even surprising.

"Of course not," she lies.

"Good," Ino chimes, clearly not realizing Sakura's perfect lying tone. It seems she had perfected it lately, the skill of lying. "I have a huge favour to ask you."

Sakura lets out a sigh. Thr favours Ino asked have always been a pain in the ass. And she called it a huge one this time. But nonetheless, it's been a while since the blonde asked for anything from her. Plus, it's not like she has anything better to do in a completely empty house.  
"What is it?"

"Do you think you can be at the gallery in like.. an hour?" she questions with that sweet tone she always uses to manipulate everyone around her.

Sakura pushes herself up on her buttom, letting the covers fall softly around her waist. She crocks a brow.

"At the gallery? What for? Doesn't it open at six?"

What could she actually do so early there? It's not even one in the afternoon. Does Ino want her to wash the floors or something?

"The thing is-" Ino starts but then she stops and Sakura can faintly hear another voice coming from the other line. And then there's an annoyed sigh that for sure escaped Ino's mouth. "If she's not here at five tell her to never show her face to me again."

Sakura bites down a laugh. They are barely twenty five and Ino is already at her third fashion show for winter collections. Sakura thinks it's ridiculous. It's only close to the end of september and the weather might still be warm for another month. This is the way Konoha's weather has always been. Just the perfect amount of sun and heat until November, when it will eventually get cold.  
What is even the point of showing off winter clothes so soon? Maybe some people really loved being prepared for anything, just in case.

"I swear I'll murder these so called models one day," Ino huffs, making Sakura chuckle.  
"Aren't you a cold boss, huh."

"Sometimes I think it would be better to just run the stage myself," the blonde scoffs back.

"Anywaaay, the thing is Sai needs to open the gallery at four due to a lot of stupid schedulle changes I don't feel like explaining right now. And I promised him I'll be there but obviously nothing ever runs smooth and I have to be here and make sure everyone is doing their damn job."  
Ino had never been good at explaining things. If there was one job that the blond will absolutely suck at, that would be teaching.

"I still don't get it why you want me to go there in an hour," Sakura says back.

"There's someone who payed a fucking fortune to be left inside the gallery earlier. Probably wants to buy some piece and wants to make sure he is the first who gets the deal. Sai's been hit with a sudden inspiration, or whatever weird shit I don't understand and never will. And he thinks he can finish the painting until four but not early enough to accompany this rich ass person through the gallery. 'I know it will be the attraction of the night' he said," she snorts, but her tone isn't one bit cold. "With me being busy with the show, he can't depend on anyone else."

Besides her, Sakura thinks. Sai had always been a bit too introverted so he had never been close to too many people. Ino is busy with her own show. Naruto has probably left back to Suna early in the morning. The only person left that Sai trusts is no other than herself.

"What exactly do I need to do?" Sakura questions with a sigh.

She has the minimum knowledge about art. How is she supposed to present a whole gallery that isn't even hers to some rich stranger? What if this person asks questions about the Sai's paintings? The only thing she knows about them is that they are really fucking gorgeous. She has her own personal birthday gift hanging in their living room. A lonely cherry blossom tree on a black backgroud full of stars. It looks incredibly unique and breath-taking. Sakura still adores the painting with all her heart.

"Nothing besides walking this dude through the gallery. If there's anything he wants to buy, just snap a 'sold' note on the blank spot near it and there's that," Ino instructs like it's really no big deal. But it is a big deal.

She doesn't feel like walking between paintings with a stranger on her tail, in an empty gallery. And she is sure that Sasuke wouldn't be too pleased to hear about it either But then again, Sasuke is not there to tell her what she can or can't do.

"Come on, Sak," the blonde presses when she's silent for too long. "I got you two VIP seats for the show for you and Sasuke. I'll give you a free-"

"Ino, I forgot to tell Sasuke about it," she admits, letting aside the fact that she forgot about the whole thing completely.

"So? Just let him know after we hang up."

Sakura bites down a scoff. He is never home. He never gets a day off and he sure as hell won't be able to leave work on such a sudden notice. But she can't let Ino know that because this is Ino. She'll comment on it and maybe even call Sasuke herself and Sakura doesn't want that.  
"He missed an important meeting yesterday and he'll probably be busy until late tonight because of it," Sakura says instead, which isn't completely a lie.

"Well, that sucks." That's an understatement, Sakura wants to add, but doesn't. "Well, Sai will come too after his gallery closes and there will be other people you'll know here. If not, I can take you backstage with me."

Sakura smiles despite the black hole she feels twirling inside her chest, sucking in her whole being once again. She still has her friends, and Sasuke will eventually come back. Sometime during the night, but he will come back to her. Always.

"Ok, let me get ready then. We don't want our customer to wait for me, do we?" Sakura smirks, knowing too well her best friend is mirroring her face.

"Sure," she bites back with a scoff. "Thank, Sak. I owe you one. See you later."

And before Sakura even has the chance to open her mouth, the line goes dead. She thinks about going straight to the bathroom and take a much needed shower, but her eyes fall down on Sasuke's side of the bed. At least, she can try.

 _Ino's fashion show is tonight. Can you come?_

She doesn't even bother to text him anything else. After all, he should have texted her if he left in such a hurry in the morning. Sakura shakes her head. What a petty thing to think. When had she become so bitter?

Her phone lets out a short bird sound, annoucing Sakura that surprisingly, he just texted back faster than she expected.

 _I'll try, but I have an idiot on my back that wants to talk about a partnership tonight. I might not make it, sorry_

Well, now she can say that she tried. And the result was exactly what she expected.  
Sakura writes down another text when another message pops up.

 _Gotta go. Missing the meeting last night left me with a ton of documents I need to revise. Take an uber and don't walk alone at night. Love you_

Why would he even say to her that he'll try to make it if a second later he clearly let's her know that he will not, in fact, come?

Sakura eyes narrow at the slick device in her hand before tapping her figer on the screen until the text she had been writting was gone. What is the point in letting him know she'll go show a bunch of painting to some stranger man? He is too busy to read it anyway.

Sakura throws her phone on the nightstand and pulls herself up on her feet. First things first, she needs to get rid of Sasuke's smell that still lingers on her skin.

* * *

The rich bastard is late. Half an hour late. She had took a shower as fast as she could, made her make-up in record time and dressed up in the first dress that her eyes landed on just to get to the gallery on time. She had even let her hair air-dry and pulled it in a messy bun because of the lack of time she though she had. And the fucker has the audicity to be late.

She dusts off her black satin dress that ends above her knees from pure lack of anything else to do. She fixes the small bow wrapped around her middle and pulls on it to place it a bit more to the left, giving the dress a new, more fashionably look. Not that she ever payed much attention to that, but Ino had curtly instructed her to do so when she had gifted the satin dress to her on her last birthday.  
Her slick, silver stileto taps on the ground in front of the gallery's stairs impatiently. Where is this guy at, anyway? She is damn sure that soon she'll be waiting for forty-five minutes but she refuses to grasp the phone from somewhere inside her silver-reflective bag. She knows that if she were to really confirm with her own eyes for how long she had been waiting, she might smash the expensive device into the hard cement.

"Sakura?"

She spins on her heels so fast that she needs to brush the hair that has gotten into her eyes because of the fast movement. For a moment, she almost thinks this person is Sasuke. But surely, it can't be.

Because Sakura hasn't saw Sasuke in ripped jeans since college, which is more than a year ago. And Sasuke is tall, but not this tall. And his muscles are deffinitely not this defined, especially now. And the most important aspect, Sasuke does not have curly, messy hair.

"Holy shit, it's you," the man beams with a grin Sakura hasn't seen in maybe a year, as he makes his way in front of her. "I haven't seen you since you guys graduated." So it has been more than a year.

"Shisui?" she gapes, not even trying to hide her surprise. "What ar-"

Sakura's words stuck in her throat as the man wraps a strong arm around her petite form and slams her unto his rock-hard chest. Her breath gets sucked out of her lungs into a gasp and she can feel her heart hammer into her chest because of the sudden personal space intrusion.

When he pulls back, Sakura is completely still. She's dumbstruck as she looks up at his boyish features and doesn't even know what to say. Sure, she knows Shisui, how could she not? He's Sasuke's cousin that she had probably seen not more times than you can count on one hand. She also knows he's maybe a bit too friendly and carefree, reminding her of one blond friend. But what everybody knows about him is that Shisui is literaly the black sheep of Uchiha family.

He gave up college after only a few months because he felt like 'this pompous and bussiness life isn't for him', as Sasuke had told her once, and just decided to travel around and do God knows what. He was rarely in Konoha so Sakura haven't seen him too often. Which came as a real surprise to have him in front of her eyes now. Having her all crushed between his arm and chest, too.

"Look at you," he chimes, his voice weirdly masculine but honey-like at the same time. He waves a hand toward her like he's presenting some kind of art piece. Sakura blinks briefly, not really knowing what is going on.

"It's been an year but you've grown up so much. You look great. No wonders you have little Sasuke all wrapped around your pinky," he says with a raise of his brows.

Sakura has to gather all her strenght to not let her face show her true feelings regarding those words. Sasuke is far from wrapped around anything related to her. He's more like cuffed to the chair in his office.

"You're back in Konoha?" she asks instead, deciding to change the topic.

Shisui's grin drops for merely a second before it regains its own glory. If this man would have a contest on who was the brightest smile with Naruto, she doesn't know who would win. He runs a hand through his hair, not really caring that he's making it look even messier and gives her a shrug.

"For a while. Itachi will come back too in a week or so and I thought a reunion with the whole Uchiha family won't be that bad. I did miss them, and this place too," he responds, his grin contorting now into a small smile.

Ah, so that is why. With the three cousins all in different cities, none would decline a chance to see each other. Or maybe Sasuke would, now with his new tight schedulle. Or maybe not. Sasuke loves Itachi and Shisui with his whole heart. He can always visit his mother, but not these two guys. There's no way Sasuke won't do anything to see them.

Contrary to how eager he seems to be to spend some time with her lately, Sakura thinks bitterly.

"Sasuke will be happy to see you guys," Sakura responds honestly. "I know he misses you all the time."

Shisui snorts amused, waving a hand in front of him dismissevly. "Nah, Sasuke should focus on his life and woman, not waste his time missing us," he winks with one of those large, but fierce eyes of his.

Sakura really doesn't know how this man manages to hit all the hurtful points. She will actually feel offended if she wouldn't have known that Shisui is too kind to even hurt a fly.

"Anyway, how are you? What are you doing around here?"

Sakura just remembers about the man she's supposed to show the gallery to, and her eyes narrow at Shisui.

"Don't tell me you are the one who payed a damn fortune to see the gallery before anyone else."  
Shisui gives her a guilty look, but he's smiling anyway. Then his brows come together in a frown that Sakura can't help but think it doesn't suit him at all.

"How do you know that?" he questions, slightly confused.

Sakura lets out an exasperated sigh. She crosses her arms over the V-cut of her dress and glares up at him.

"Sai couldn't make it so I'm supposed to show you around for him," she huffs. "And you're late."

Shisui raises an amused brow, the corner of his mouth twitching in what looks like a failed attempt to surpress a grin.

"So cute," he chuckles.

Sakura's jaw falls as she stares at him incredulously. What does he mean.. cute? She is pissed for waiting for him for so long. And he is Sasuke's damn cousin. How can he just spill that out without a care?

"I bet you can make Sasuke eat from your palm with that pout," he laughs, throwing his head back and giving Sakura a good look at his adam's apple jumping up with every chuckle. "Still acting all cool and unbothered?" he then asks with a smirk, looking down at her from behind long lashes.

No. He's not, Sakura wants to answer. Or maybe he is, but she is never there to see it. Or better said, he is never around her for too long to actually know Sasuke as anything but exhausted.

Instead of answering, Sakura rolls her eyes and spins on her heels, turning her back to him.  
"Come on, I've waited enough for you. You better buy something."

She can't hear his shoes following her, due to his choice of sneakers, but in some kind of odd way, she knows he's a step behind her. It's only when she steps inside the gallery and stops by the entrance that he gets in line with her.

Sakura side-glances at him as he looks around the shadows looming over the wide space that makes the first room of the gallery for tonight.

"Looks nice," he jokes, catching her eyes just as she rolls them.

Then Sakura flips on the switch of the lights and in a second they were met with Sai's paintings adorning the walls around them.

"After you," Shisui says with yet another grin, waving a hand in front of them.

"Just so you know," she starts as they both walk slowly further into the room, "I don't know shit about all this. So it's a relief that you are the rich dude who wanted to be the first in line."

It takes her a second to realize that her words might actually offend him. But when she glances at his face, he's looking back at her with amusement painted all over his face.

"Heard this Sai guy is talented and I want a nice piece for my new house," he admits, shrugging.  
Sakura's brows shot up at that. "You're moving back to Konoha?"

"Nah," he shakes his head, "just bought one in Suna. It's not too far from the beach, has a nice backyard.. thought it was pretty nice so I got it," he shrugs.

They want it, they get it. Such a typical Uchiha thing.

"It's still kind of.. empty, though?"

Shisui stops in his track, making Sakura do so as well, to look around the gallery like he just remembered they were supposed to look at the paintings.

"I hope I'll find something that'll make it feel more alive or something like that," he continues, his eyes still glancing here and there.

Sakura doesn't know how to answer to that. Her and Sasuke's house has a few beautiful artworks, but that doesn't make it any more alive when she's alone all day. She wants to tell him that, but doesn't want to destroy his hopes just like that. Plus, this is Sasuke's own cousin. How could she say something like that to him from all people? She doesn't want to sound like a depressed, fucked up girl either. Even if maybe she is. Or at least, that's how she feels lately.

"Well," she starts, gaining his attention, "let's find that special painting then." She smiles up at him, and it's not a dishonest one. Shisui talked like this is something really important for him. She feels a bit glad that she has the oportunity to help him with it, though she doesn't know exactly why.  
You help others, you also help your own soul. This is what one of her ex-proffesors used to say. Sakura finds herself wishing that that was true. She can deffinitely use some inner peace right now.

* * *

 **A/N: Already working on the next chapter, so I hope with all my heart that I will post it soon. Hooe you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Reviews make the so damn happy, ALWAYS, so please take your time to make this poor human beeing a little bit more happier. Thank you!**

 **XOXO, Adenna.**


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